Month: August 2026

In my Spirit “Hang on a second, something is happening.” Obviously what the doctor was talking about was actually seeing my stroke happen. There was no way for him to see what was doing in my spirit in the days after my stroke. It is even hard for me to see what is going on in my spirit. But something was going on. I was in the…

The Blog Year I don't know why I decided to start a blog. But I'm thankful that I did. I’m thankful too, for the support group and Valentina the speech therapist who facilitated the group. Without her or them, and those goals, I don't know where I would be.  Starting the blog required me to work on things that needed work, figuring out how to actually start…

The Whirlwind Year Looking back I often call the first year of my rebuilding journey the whirlwind year. All the ups and downs, figuring my medications, canceling plans over and over again because I didn't feel well, lots of doctor visits, and back again a couple times to the E.R. at the hospital. It was a chaotic year. The next trip to the hospital happened about a…

A Family of Builders  My name is Karl Hostetler and for my entire life I was a builder. I learned my trade from my dad who was a builder, he learned his trade from his dad, my grandpa, who was a builder and a pastor. My son, Bryan, is a builder as well. Four generations of builders. I guess building is in my blood. Maybe five generations?…

Well, I have a new nickname, Wordy. I guess it fits. It happened while I was working with a coach with an organization called Beyond Stillness. Their mission is to help people who have a brain injury tell their story. To guide someone to tell their story is pretty impactful. Even with me. I’ve been writing about my brain injury for four years with thousands and thousands…