You Are a Super Star! CAS-ology Week 148

Hello there my friends. Today I'm playing along in one of my favorite Clean and Simple Card Challenges, CAS*ology. This is a challenge that I've been sponsoring since its inception every other month. This is Week 148 and as above, each week has a Cue Card to where your card has to be based off of the cue. Now you may be wondering what somebody being a Super Star could have a story behind it, but this one does. I made this card for Bryce, who I call "Bro," because he is a Super Star, and he really loves it if I make something for him! He's always so appreciative. He's the victim of a traumatic brain injury and has overcome so much. He beat every single obstacle along the 3-year journey to where he had to learn how to walk, talk, everything, all over again. Bryce was in a horrific car accident. If he had side airbags, he would be fine, but he didn't and the car that hit him was on the other side of the Skyway, lost control, flipped over a few times and eventually slammed into Bryce's little truck smashing in his entire left side, literally. Bryce is highly functional in that he golfs, plays tennis and is taking swimming lessons again, but he has his moments and it can be difficult.  I "Bryce-sit" to give my best friend and cousin, Kelly, a break, as her family doesn't support her very much, if at all, which is heartbreaking, and that's something that I've personally experienced, and it really just rips out your soul. She finally got a break for a 4 days a few weeks ago and came back looking fabulously rested. Bryce is like having five 2-year-olds at the same time, but they are all 38-year-old in size, including temper and attitude. As inappropriate as this sounds, but it's true and I can't make any logic out of this one, but especially since he's a guy, as Bryce does not remember his life before the accident – he even had to be told that Kelly was his wife; there's 2 things a guy never forgets – sex and sports, and in that order. It's the weirdest thing. 

Bryce is also the biggest foodie of all time. I have an imaginary line into my kitchen that he is not allowed to go past and when I have him, I pee faster than when my own kids were little. At least with my own kids, I had dog paws and little fingers slipping in under the door and my oldest son teaching my baby daughter some pretty raunchy things that now are hilarious, but with Bryce, you must pee in record speed. He can devour a pantry in 30 seconds flat. I rush out of the bathroom and go to the kitchen and wash my hands there because of course, he's in the kitchen checking out my pantry. We have to keep him on a point system because he will pull the "I have a traumatic brain injury" card on you and that's when you know he knows better, like him wiping out my cell contacts and my entertainment center in my car, which is now I know why Kelly makes him sit in the back seat. Anyhow, back to my pantry – I will run in there and tell Bryce about crossing the kitchen line and he's behind the door telling me that he was "just looking" while crumbs are falling out of his mouth. It's so hard not to laugh, but you do have to be firm with him. At the end of the day, I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. When he calls me, I don't even say "Hello" I tell him that I don't want to talk about dinner tonight. Kelly could be telling me all of this stuff, but it's really better that I learn it on my own. He has one set of rules at home and another at my house, but I try to keep them consistent because TBI victims need a strict routine. He also has a phone limit of calling me twice a day. I had to impose that after 27 calls in one day and it just took one day for me to make that rule with him. If he doesn't respect that boundary, I block him for 2 days. It might sound cruel, but you just have to keep them on routine and never, ever, ever over-stimulate him or let him get too tired. That is very, very, very hard. When Kel needs a break and I stay the night at her house, he's in bed at 9:30, lights out. We have to start the process at 8:45 because he will do the potty thing on you a hundred times, but he gets once grace pee period with me and I don't let him have anything to drink after 8:30. Bryce is also addicted to Diet Peach Snapple. It's cute. Kelly and I went to get me a bikini not too long ago and the first thing he asked me was, "Did you get a bra?" Kelly stays out of it and lets me handle it myself. I told him, "No, and that topic is off limits, remember?" He's a challenge, but it's made me so much more of a compassionate person and I've learned a tremendous amount of patience because nobody's life is perfect. Everybody has their own challenges to face, Bryce and Kelly just have one hell of a challenge, and I'm there as much as I can possibly be for them. There's been times when I've had surgery and Kelly is taking care of both of us. Bryce and Kelly have also been with me through some of the most difficult times of my life.

Bryce and I color a lot together because it helps to improve his fine motor skills, even though he has the attention span of a 2-year-old. He wants me to go golfing with him this summer and I promised him that I would but I am so afraid I will hurt my back. He forgets a lot, but that's one thing he hasn't forgotten. He just wants me to go golfing with him. 

But, I love him very much anyway and he's good for my soul. I need him in my life. He will listen to me just talk away about anything and everything and respond to me. It's very validating. He has a very sweet innocence to him and if I need prayer, he's so on it. I have to write my short requests down for him and he will keep it right on his tray next to his favorite chair. He gets a new list a few times a week and we pray together too. If I ask Bryce for prayer, he will drop whatever he's doing and pray for me. We all have a direct pipeline to God, but with Bryce, he gets there faster. I believe God takes special mercy on people like Bryce.

So, this card is for Bryce because he is a Super Star for surviving and overcoming a tremendous amount of obstacles. I never knew Bryce before his accident. I wish I did. Him and Kelly were only married for 2 years when it happened and her life changed in a second. That is why you always hear me talk about how precious life it and how short it is for petty nonsense, hate, cruelty and meanness that hurts others, because they could be gone in a second whether it be physically or emotionally, and you have to think to yourself, is this really worth it? The answer for me is NO. Love and give freely because frankly, you have NO REASON not to. There's never, ever a justification for throwing people away like trash. If Kelly had done that with Bryce, he would be in a state home and would not have any quality of life, nothing close to what he has now. She loves him and she did not abandon him. She took her vows seriously. She's taken care of Bryce now for 11 years on her own.

For my card, I also showed you the inside of the card, which is the first picture, because I'm very thankful for Bryce. It's also rainbow too because he likes rainbows and vellum paper. He's learning 🙂

Thank you so very much for stopping by to visit me today. I really appreciate your support. God bless you and yours.

1 Peter 4:8 and Proverbs 10:12

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