On the fourth of July, 2007 Caleb Potter was involved in a skateboarding accident.
He suffered serious injuries and continues to need all of our positive thoughts and prayers.
This blog is to serve as a space for updates on Caleb's journey of recovery.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

When pressured, I cannot always remember the Latin name of a plant, but I can always recall it's look and feel, it's beauty and grace, the way it moves in the wind, and how it responds to the rain. When pressured, I cannot always remember what my family was like before... but I can assure you that we laughed alot, talked alot and we danced in the rain and swirled with the wind.
Living with the new Caleb has brought silence to the dinner table , blaming and guilty thoughts to our eyes.....and worries of the future. ..and in the face of danger and in the face of uncertainty ...it has also brought about the realization that something big is going on here . bigger than we know..... and like our origins.. I rememebr who I am and who he is and I have faith that he will find his way back home....as we are are all finding our way back home!

18 comments:

Olivia said...

Sharyn,
I hope you are seeing someone for counseling. It is hard to be the rock for everyone, for as long as you have had to.

You have to take care of yourself first in order to take care of others.

blackbird said...

You are weathering enormous things -
the mood at dinner will evolve too...and every morning is new.

Jeff- in the Berkshires said...

So much of the home life of a family is visceral and not quantifiable to many outside the unit. The inside joke, the shorthand, the spontaneity, laughs that to the outsider don’t seem triggered by anything special. It becomes innate and in that I believe it is in your blood and in your connective souls and in Caleb I believe it lives in an area that survived the accident.

But with all that has gone on with your family I can understand how an almost forced seriousness could be imposed. It’s not like there has been one obstacle but a series of events that in singularity are enough to throw someone tough off kilter. I can’t imagine how a similar zaniness that is our family life would be changed by similar events. With you I would grieve the loss of something that I cherished but couldn’t describe it if forced to. But the loss would be no less real.

A wet blanket that you try to move and lift by doing things that were fun and “normal” in the past and you feel “good” for a bit but yet you still feel the damp and weighed down.

Like Caleb’s brain is rewiring itself, it is my hope that the metamorphosis that you are sensing is a rewiring of the connective tissue of your family. It is uncomfortable in this transition but what is innate will resurface when the rewiring and new connections are made and added to it will be something new and different. An equilibrium and rhythm will be regained that will be different but contain much that is recognizable from the past.

Sharyn the core of what you have created, the fun and laughter and sharing that you have experienced as a family is so deep, so special, so connected and again so innate that I have a hard time comprehending it being snuffed out.

I believe that as the phoenix rises from the ashes so to will you all, though with a different more colorful plume.

WebMommy said...

Hi Sharyn, I do not know you, but I regularly read your blog and care about your wonderful family. Just yesterday I was in the neighboring town which I envision to be the mid-western version of Wellfleet, and I happened to be in this spiritual type store. It's not the kind of place that I would normally find myself, but I had a gift certificate and was purchasing some of the more tame materials about the wonder of children and that sort of thing. While browsing, I met a young man, early 20s, who had suffered a brain injury. He clearly still struggled for his words, but he said to me, "I'm still healing." So it is with your Caleb. He may not be the boy you once knew or the man you remember, but for strangers like us, be heartened that we can meet a brain injured person in a random store, be keenly aware that something has happened to them, and yet still realize they have a place in our world. The man I met may not be the same person that his family remembers, but for me, he was delightful, kind, and respectful, and his presence touched my day. Caleb will find his own way, slowly but surely. It is much harder for those of you that remember the difference, rather than those of us who would meet him now.

amy in ct said...

i cannot say much to help you here, as i have not gone thru what you have gone thru.
all i know is what i have seen so far from your little family.... i have seen miracles.
you will all be fine.
different but just fine.
we love you all
amy in ct

Julie said...

Wow, you are truly the stongest woman. God bless you and your family.

J

nancyk4444 said...

Sharyn,

I read your words and I think.....and I hear you.
I hear your fear, your sadness and the zillions of thoughts that must flood your mind every minute....it is so hard not to have them - I know...
As you continue to deal with these thoughts, fears,longings and unkowns...just know that we hear you.

Nancy in NY

Lauren in CT said...

You will all find your way back home. It will take different journeys and different time to get back there. But in the end, you will all be bonded even stronger than before, and be an unbeatable unit.

Hang in there *hugs*

haley.jane said...

Dear Sharyn.

I check for updates almost everyday.. And even though it has almost been a year, I cannot believe how much things that have changed....

Though Caleb may have come out a different person, I feel SO SO SO blessed that we were allowed to keep him here with us. I am thankful for that fact everytime I think about Wellfleet and your boys. Caleb embodies the vibrant spirit that brings me back to Wellfleet each year, and I love him very much.

I am saddened that I will not be in Wellfleet for the 4th and for Max's birthday. I actually have a gift for Max, but I think I will save it until I come in August, but please make sure he knows I am thinking about him!!!

Miss you all everyday.
Haley.

Christa said...

Still thinking about and loveing you all....

Christa, Noah & Jack
Wilmington, NC

Lisa said...

Sharyn,

I read every blog, and had planned on being there for the 4th. With the economy (my husband works construction) it is not going to happen this year. Last year we arrived on the 5th and have been following along ever since.

It saddens us that we can't be there.....but in spitit we will definitely be there.
If possible please please post pics of the parade so we can at least dream........Things will continue to progress for Caleb and your beautiful family.
Stay atrong and take each new experience for what it is...a new beginning, a new way at looking at family, friends and life itself. We continue to hold you all (and all of Wellfleet) in our thoughts and prayers. We will raise a glass to the wonderful people that surround your beautiful family.
Peace to all of you
Lisa in Pa.

Ellen Webb said...

Thanks for sharing all of yourself--we love all of all of you and believe in the process... and in each of you! El

janet said...

"Something big is going on here, bigger than we know..."

Sharyn, that's the part of your words that comes through strongest to me. I agree! May your hope, faith, enthusiasm and sparkle always outshine any thoughts of blame or guilt...until those bad feelings can be swept into the dustpan of unhelpful stuff and tossed to the wind. In following your story and caring about your family, it seems you're helping us all in return, to find our own ways home.
peace.
janet

Jackie said...

Dear Sharyn,
Your recent post was beautiful and made me so sad and uncertain what to say to you; because like everyone else I only wish I could find words to offer you comfort. But it did start me thinking about little inside family jokes and behaviors that would be known only to my family. So, let me offer this little tale.
The other day, my recently turned three year old grandson, Jesse, was telling me that one of the other children in his daycare hit him in the chest. When I asked him what was the teacher's reaction, he said "Dat not nice Booper". Upon further investigation, we discovered that the nasty little perpetrator is actually named Cooper, but Jesse's bobbled communication to us has created a new family catchphrase that we all pull out whenever something doesn't go as planned or whatever warrants using it.
And so, as Jeff (in the Berkshires) so wisely says as Caleb heals and rewires, the inate family dynamics will resurface. But because you are such a loving, connected family, you will create new "old" memories along the way.
Keep writing and we'll keep responding.
Jackie in NY

Marcia said...

Sharyn,

While you are in the place you are in with your thoughts, sometimes it is hard to see an end in sight. With the help from your friends and family and your strong desire to make changes, your days will once again be happy and life will have more smiles than sadness.

Sometimes I forget as I try to achieve my goals and dreams that I need to take what I have learned from the past, combine it with my future goals and dreams, to live life the fullest in the present day. I have to remind myself, "That life is not all about the final destination, it's about enjoying the journey."

You are doing a great job!
marcia

Orien Rose said...

Sharyn,
thank you for the post on Orien Rose's blog. We had to change it (due to a mishap) so it is located at orienrose.blogspot.com now.

You are amazing, the journey is amazing, miracles happen. :)

Blessings
Christine

Claus said...

Sharyn,
I have to echo Ellen's comments: thanks for sharing, we are all with you ,and along for the journey.
Lots of love,
Claus

rcl in dc said...

For the morning sun and all its glory
Meets the day with hope and comfort too
YOU fill this Life with laughter, and somehow make it better.
YOU ease all troubles,
that's what YOU do.