Happy Spring! Golfer Connie in Action!

So you can see in the picture that Connie is back in action, so-to-speak.  This is at her lesson for adaptive golf.  Her teacher is amazing! She is still golfing right handed, but tucking right arm/hand in a pocket for now and swinging with her left...stay tuned!
Golf was one of Con/Mom's passions.  I was so blessed to have golfed with her on a league for 3 years and she rekindled my own passion for the game.  Now I'm in two leagues and my daughter even works at Carl's Golfland! It's not only Con/Mom's passion for golf, but her passion for life that keeps her positive and moving forward. She is an inspiration to many and has defied the standard rule of healing for stroke patients of one year. 
Con/Mom and Dave/Dad have their couples league on Friday night so she will do a little more than putt this year with the help of her lessons.  Andy and I have joined their league so I'll be sure to keep you all abreast of her physical updates.

Con/Mom is really making progress in speech, too!  She is using names more frequently not because she couldn't remember us, but because of the neuro pathways that were damaged.  She is continually building new paths and it is reflected in her speech. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

While Dad/Dave has taken two dive trips in the last three years, Con/Mom has finally agreed to take a cruise with their special friends in December through the New Year! They will stop at some of their favorite places like the Keys, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

Pool is open now and Con/Mom will start her laps soon once the temp is up to her standard. :)  Our dogs will enjoy chasing the pool sweep. LOL #nuttypups

Have a great summer and enjoy each day to the full!  Count your blessings, hug your loved ones and smile!

p.s. Thanks to all who have donated to the American Heart/Stroke Assoc.!  I am walking this weekend, which I have been supporting for over ten years and you can still walk with me or make a donation of ANY size to support the #1 killer!!!! Just click here to check out my page and God bless!

Namaste ~ MJ

Belated Happy New Year!

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season and the New Year has been full of blessings!  The Griffore household has been humming along and Con/Mom is continuing to heal.  The winter months allowed for a break from therapies, but we always maintain our yoga sessions for mobility and peace.  Weekly massages are a Godsend, too!

The big news is that Con/Mom is ready to drive again! She has a new car and yesterday she drove to her hair appointment! The right arm and hand are still without motion, but the left side is gaining functionality for many purposes.  It is still a slow process as driving offers varied stimuli that although normal to many of us, are not so normal for Con/Mom.  Not unlike going to church in a large mass setting.

Dave/Dad and Con/Mom entertained the idea of traveling again, but the time is not quite right for our Goddess.  Dave/Dad, however, is venturing off to Fiji in March on his 7th live aboard dive boat there.  It is his favorite place in the world I believe.  There, he will rejuvenate in mind and spirit and Con/Mom will have time with her fur baby, Jack.

So, keep the prayers coming for healing, acceptance and peace of mind.  Your friendship, love and support mean the world to both of them.

Have a blessed day, count your blessings and hold your loved ones close....

Dog Days of Summer

It's been a while since the last update so I thought I'd share a few notes on our special lady....

Con/Mom has enjoyed the summer and each day she does her laps in her warm pool with fins and a jumbo noodle for upper body support.  They are considering joining LifeTime Fitness in the winter so she can continue her laps.

I still come twice a week for yoga/visits and the continued mobility has been key in her recovery.  Check out this link/article to elaborate on what I am referring to:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28515288

Con/Mom still has a goal of driving someday so her hard work, persistence and perseverance continue to support that goal!  Having independence taken away abruptly is an arduous challenge for anyone and the choice is quite simply this: to move or not to move.  Con/Mom chooses to move and her tenacious personality allows her to move forward amidst the fatigue, pain and lifestyle change.

She is still a card shark and we often play euchre and her two bridge groups keep her busy during the week.

As we move into a season of gratitude, let's count our blessings and remember the practice of patience in ourselves and with others. Let us also become less selfish and become selfless in our individual journeys.  Let us remember the love that we were created from and let grace comfort us.

Namaste ~ MJ

Creating Awareness for Preventing Stroke and Heart Disease

Many of you know that I have been raising awareness to prevent heart disease and stroke through the years.  Some of you have generously donated in the past as well and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
It is time once again to come together for the #1 killer, yes, the #1 KILLER over all cancers.  Any illness or disease is devasting, but some resonate with us more than others.  In the past I grew fond of this organization after my March of Dimes efforts (both my kids were premature at 6 and 7 weeks early) because of my best friend, Kristy Sidlar.  Now, since my mother had an unexpected stroke I fight even harder to create awareness through a healthy lifestyle, teaching our kids and others yoga, about reducing stress and more!
If you can give anything at all to help our efforts (I am part of an amazing team called Heart Heroes) I would be touched.  No matter what your reason, the feeling of giving is always good and what you do today or tomorrow can have long lasting positive results on many lives!  You can donate here.

Con/Mom is my shining star and her candle burns bright!  She continues to work hard at staying strong and appreciates all of the support, friendship, love and prayers.  Keep them coming!!!

May peace and light shine on you and your heart forever hold happiness.  Namaste ~ MJ

St. Blaise and Throat Blessing

Today Con/Mom and I went to church.  We didn't know we were to honor the feast day of St. Blaise.  Appropriate for Con/Mom indeed!  Father Greg blessed our throats with two candles (just like the picture) after mass.  I have never had that done before.

If you are unfamiliar with the history of St. Blaise here's a refresher:

Little is known about Saint Blaise prior to his mention in a court physician's medical journal. The physician, Aëtius Amidenus, spoke of Saint Blaise's aid in treating objects caught in the throat. He was also mentioned in the book of Acts, where he was aided by animals and treated people and beasts alike.

Saint Blaise is believed to begin as a healer then, eventually, became a "physician of souls." He then retired to a cave, where he remained in prayer. People often turned to Saint Blaise for healing miracles.

In 316, the governor of Cappadocia and of Lesser Armenia, Agricola, arrested then-bishop Blaise for being a Christian. On their way to the jail, a woman set her only son, who was chocking to death on a fish bone, at his feet.

Blaise cured the child, and though Agricola was amazed, he could not get Blaise to renounce his faith. Therefore, Agricola beat Blaise with a stick and tore at his flesh with iron combs before beheading him.

Con/Mom is trucking along and is glad to have January behind her as well as the one-year mark of her stroke. We are all moving forward with support of each other, family and friends! 

p.s. It's National Wear Red Day!  Support awareness for the #1 killers (heart disease and stroke)!

Happy New Year!!!

It's been quite some time since I have written, but things with Con/Mom are status quo. The holiday was a bit arduous for a number of reasons, but the Griffore family is looking ahead into 2017 now.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Con/Mom that my niece, Emily, took.

Behind her, is a special tree with our childhood sugar plum ornaments on it that Sue and I helped her decorate this year.

Our family came together on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day and we still sang our traditional 12 Days of Christmas after dinner.

Despite many of us getting a flu bug, including Con/Mom, we survived and are trying to keep warm in the Michigan winter.


Con/Mom is continuing her home therapy with Dad/Dave, and I lead her in adaptive yoga twice a week.  She continues to enjoy lots of card playing and won first place at bridge this week, again!

She is settling into a new lifestyle and enjoys watching the Lions and seeing dear friends.

Con/Mom is looking forward to Spring and rooting on her favorite golfers and Tigers! Meanwhile, keep the mail and prayers coming.  Dad/Dave is a super trooper and has become a super shopper as well as a great meal planner!  Change is hard, but there are new lessons in each new day. We all thank you for the continued support and love.  

Namaste ~ MJ

A Week in the Life of Connie

Hello Connie fans!  After seeing a sweet angel yesterday who mentioned this blog I thought I'd give you a taste for a week in the life of Con/Mom.  She continues to maintain her positive outlook and is very optimistic of the months ahead.

After a weekend of house guests and their gourmet group, Con/Mom and Dad/Dave are settling back into their house of two, or three, I suppose. :)  Jack the dog is certainly large enough to be counted.   Just ask sweet Carol B. who he brought toys to yesterday.

Mondays are a day of therapy for Con/Mom and sister Sue usually takes her.  They try to get two sessions in a day so she only has to go two days a week.  It doesn't always work out, though.  So, Con/Mom had OT and speech and Dad/Dave has some time to work a little and run errands.

Tuesday I normally visit and we do yoga.  Now that the pool is covered up, we're done with pool therapy.  Parker and I helped Dad/Dave cover it up and now Jack stalks the frogs that get on top of the cover.  This Tuesday, however, we had speech therapy so I took her to that.  She's working on the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

Wednesday Con/Mom and Dad/Dave played bridge together! Cute!  Con/Mom is in a couple bridge groups and sometimes they need a sub and he happened to be free.

Thursday morn Con/Mom played bridge, again. Another woman in their sub picks her up and they play at Meadowbrook Country Club.  It's a day I usually visit and we normally have speech therapy so we played cribbage instead.  Con/Mom whopped me! Cribbage is a family tradition for most of us.

Friday, today, I picked her up for mass and sister Sue met us there.  Suzie visits on Friday so she took her home and I'm off to visit my mother-in-law, who is turning 90 this month!

So, you can see she is busy!  She is enjoying the flowers and notes that still come in and I know if she could she would be taking care of all of us!  Just yesterday as we sat down to play cards she said to me, "what can I do for you?". Sigh. It was nice to unload the dishwasher together; it's the little things in life that should not be overlooked.

Time passes and seasons change, but love will never die.  As I watch my parents embrace my heart melts.  They are truly blessed, but often blessings are hard to see in the midst of adversity.  Faith carries Con/Mom just like a bird in flight.  Her spirit has not been shattered and this is what we need to remember.

Today we remember our Holy Mother who said yes with the Rosary.  Take a moment to pray the rosary alone or with your family and reflect on her love not unlike the love of our own mothers.

Getting pretty at Legato with her dear friend, Diane.