September 21 - Life is for Learning

This morning AJ decided to change things up a bit and requested a cold shower.  He is usually so warm, he figured a cold shower would feel great and remind him of his days in Nicaragua, where he didn't always have warm water available!  Well, the shower did feel great and refreshing, but unfortunately, his body does not regulate his temperature as well as it used to, due to his circulation system being a bit slower under the current circumstances.  So, when he was returned to his bed after the shower, he began shivering.  He tried to go back to sleep but the shivering was intolerable.  We got some warm blankets from the nurses and covered him, with those and a couple of others.  Eventually, after a couple of hours, he was feeling better as his body temperature rose back to normal.  After speaking with the doctors, we learned that body temperature regulation is a struggle for paraplegics and AJ will need to be careful to avoid extremes in external environmental conditions while on this journey to recovery.


Once we got him warm again, we got him out of bed and ready for church services in the hospital's chapel.  It was another wonderful experience to worship our Savior Jesus Christ and thank Him for the many, many blessings that are being sent our way.  We know that it is by His grace, made available through the infinite atonement, that AJ is still with us and getting better everyday.  How grateful we are!  We spent some time pondering and discussing some answers to the question, "What would God want me to learn from this experience?"  We need to spend some more time formulating our answers, but our goal is to make a written list that we can review often to see how we are doing at learning those things.  Undoubtedly, the list will include the following:

• Patience with ourselves and with others
• Gratitude for the blessing of life and its experiences
• Trusting that the Lord is in control and allow His will to be done
• Adversity really does make us a better person
• To make the best of every situation
• Serve others as best we can from where we are
• Keep a positive attitude and an eternal perspective
• Strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ, and recognize His help in carrying this burden

The afternoon was filled with many visitors bringing treats, great company, and well wishes, including best friends and Grandma and Grandpa Hunt!