Forty years ago the library at the college I was attending was getting rid of some old books. They were offering them for free.  So I picked one up, a little book called “The Way.'' I can still remember that book. There were a lot of textbooks that I read in college as well, I couldn't name any of them. But as I was working on my…

I can’t remember how I learned to read. Maybe it started with something like Hop on Pop?  I just can't remember. But, I can remember how I learned to read again. It started with the Bible. I knew I needed to start reading, trying to regain what was lost. It was and still is, a big part of my recovery.  So I practiced reading, one chapter every…

What we focus on really matters. If you can’t focus, you are doomed to live a blurry life, flitting about from place to place. Scatterbrained is a good way to describe it. Just as bad, by focusing on the wrong things you will end up at the wrong places. Focusing on the wrong things can overwhelm me. I’m starting to realize how important what I am focusing…

Another year is ending, another year, Hmm, that means a lot to me. Right now I’m working on year 66, or maybe year 3. I'm not sure which. As I think about it, I’m definitely working on year 3.  I really like this time of year. What a great time for looking back on the year that is ending and also looking forward to another year.  Looking…

Lots of things happened the night of my stroke. A lot of things stopped, and a lot of things started.  My recovery started, my retirement started, my new life started, and my love for God, well it didn’t start per se, but somehow it blossomed. And though some good things started, a lot of things also stopped.  My business, for example, stopped. Stopped suddenly. Scheduling of subcontractors,…

This week I again experienced something old, or maybe new?  I have always worked in construction.  As a laborer, an apprentice, a journeyman, a contractor and the owner of Hostetler Construction, my work day always started at 7:00, rolling up to the jobsite bright and early, often after an hour commute. All the cities I generally worked in, lie in a big circle from Temecula to Big…

The thought came out of the blue, “You can sit in the other chair if you want.” You mean that chair I used to use? You know, that chair where I sat when I was in control. That chair where I sat when I asked Jesus to help me, to be my copilot, to help me right this ship. That chair where I heard his voice. I…

Am I half the man I used to be?  I am trying to assess my strengths and weaknesses and figure out what I have to work with. It is something I've been thinking about, not seriously, but in a roundabout way. Well, I have an answer. I was talking to a friend at church. A man that I hadn’t seen since my stroke. And we were talking…

This morning I was thinking about what I just read in Psalms 139. “But before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.” (Ps. 139.4). Why? Because often there is a significant pause before a word is on my tongue, and sometimes the words don’t appear at all. That was what I was thinking about. But before a word is on my tongue you,…

There is something new in my therapy tool box. It is called project therapy. I would define it as working on a major project that employs a lot of the things that need work. Things like writing, words, working memory, language issues, and executive function.  All wrapped up as a project of some sort.  Just this week I heard about it in a documentary about aphasia. The…