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.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What is it I am made of? I hurt like old worn shoes..but I am still here, living and loving every day. At night I still find time to cry into downy feathers with a storm in my heart, but in the day I often laugh, and in spite of myself, I still see joy wherever I look. Babie's eyes connect in passing, as if we share a secret or two - and I send them off with a blessing of long life, no harm! Wonderful friends, old and new, approach with kind words or warm hugs. People I never would have met, had it not been for Caleb, are now cememnted in my life, and together they help to rebuild me , to piece me together like the scarecrow in the "Wizard". I am grateful for each day that Caleb and I stroll the streets of Wellfleet, arc over the avenues of life and meander through the meadows of our minds . I am learning so much from this journey..how to be grateful, how to be forgiving, how to look at things with a fresh outlook, not to sweat the little things. It is so dificult to not look back, to not yearn for my "lost Boy". It takes every ounce of energy I have each day to stay focused on what is, rather than what is not, or what could be... I miss him so very much...I bleed sometimes from the loneliness of him..These feeling are like verbs..they create action in my system and pain me. But I crawl out of the shawdows into the daylight and I feel that I must trust in the unknown,in the mysteries of life. What is it I am made of? I hope it is of dreams lost and then dreams found.

16 comments:

susan in portsmouth said...

I think it is blood and bone, enormous heart, fierce mother-love, loyalty and hope that makes you. Mixed in are elements of whimsy and tenderness, impulse and dedication. You contain music and poetry, the soft light of the moon, the sun's fire and the constant rolling motion of the sea. And yes, you are surely made of dreams. You have penned stirring eulogies for the dreams lost and rousing birthday toasts for all the new - and I hope with all that's in me that you'll continue to do so for a long while to come.

Big love to you, as ever,
Susan

janet said...

Sharyn,
I'll echo Susan's poetic words, but I'll add diamonds to the list of what you're made of...you share their strength and sparkle, reflecting light and colors back to others. So good to see you and Caleb at the library, enjoying the music! With the large turnout there before us, we sat with the young crowd in the children's room, watching through the door. It's no wonder your Wellfleet library is #1 in Massachusetts! We loved watching the little ones play, with the music all around them.

I found my 1st snowdrops today!...maybe you're made of snowdrops, too...blooming through adversity, with hope and dreams for the future.

Wishing you and Caleb all the best,
janet

amy in ct said...

ok i posted and the computer lost it on me...
i wrote from my heart and off the cuff and i cant possibly re-do it in the same manner.... it was elloquent, trust me :)

but anyway, you are a rock and a vulnerable woman at times
you are made of things i only wish i was made of
you are an inspiration to me as is your whole family especially caleb.

i am blessed to know you.
amy in ct

Lisa K. said...

Those ahead of me have written beautifully! I would add that within you there are powerful roots that reach far underground to absorb from the earth whatever it is you and yours need -- light, water, nutrients -- even though you do not always see these things yourself as you forage beneath the surface. Within you live millions of energy particles that travel across the physical world and transform those who move through them. Within you exists a potent star whose light moves all of us here on the ground. Within you love thrives.

Anonymous said...

Sharyn - so many times I have wanted to leave a comment but don't... You don't know me and everyone here writes so elequently and has an ability to put into words what their heart says. I love your writing, it moves me. I too am a single mother of 3 boys - I hope I am as good a mother as you are to yours... You inspire me.

MsGraysea said...

Sharyn,
I've been reading your beautiful words since right after Caleb's accident....today I just had to comment as you struck a chord of remembrance in my soul.
In 1975, my brother was paralyzed in a dirt bike accident...he was 19. The night of the accident he had emergency surgery to save his life but the brutal words of his surgeon to our shocked family were "your son/brother as you knew him is dead" and a new person will awake from the surgery." We hated those words and railed against them at the time....after several years of surgeries, etc, he began a slow recovery and went on to become one of the world's most respected coaches of wheelchair athletes. It took a long time and we still all cry a little when we see him. It was us who had to do so much adjusting. Now when I read your words, I am taken back to what my mother's life was like in that time. She was a hero in it all, as was my father, but it was still such a long adjustment to the new person....a girlfriend fell by the wayside, friends, too. All I can say is the love for the "new person" after such a tragedy increases many-fold as the years pass, and the pain subsides.
You are and Caleb are brave and beautiful souls.
Thank you!

NY/Wellfleet Mom said...

You are a composite, Sharyn, of all the "right stuff."

NY/Wellfleet Mom

Marcia said...

Hi Sharyn
"People I never would have met, had it not been for Caleb, are now cemented in my life, and together they help to rebuild me..."

And Sharyn, you and Caleb help so many others every day, by sharing your journey.

Cheers,
marcia

peg said...

You are made of stuff strong enough to withstand the fiercest of storms, yet soft enough to see the joy in your children's hearts, brave enough to get out of bed each day, yet vulnerable to the memories of what you've lost, steadfast enough to move forward by Caleb's side, wise enough to allow yourself the tears that soak your pillow at night...and to question of what it is that you are made. In the end we are all of us only human, flawed and magnificent in our humanity, made of whatever it will take for us to survive our time on this planet. Walk lightly in the sun, Sharyn; you are made of love beyond measure.
As always, with hope,
peg from PA

Jeff- in the Berkshires said...

To say that you are made of steel could imply that you are hard and rigid, which seems totally off the mark. To say you are like a rock could imply that you are also hard and impermeable and can have jagged edges. While we all can be rough around the edges and have a bite at times, this isn't the person I have come to know through your writing.

The hard metaphors don't seem to fit nor do the fluffy ones either.

IMO you are made of Spirit.

Bright, resilient, adapting to the shape and form needed for the time. Sometimes dimmed by adversity or challenge but never diminished. Other times troubled and seeking the way or confused and questioning the past and the future but still deeply grounded in so many ways. Focused like a laser on some days, dispersed as the spray on the waves on others. Spirit is eternally radiating and present in your heart, brightest when you serve others and when you let it out through your words.

I have a hard time visualizing this in the physical sense, yet the image is as clear as the screen I am typing on. Like all of life so much is unknown.

As always I send you thoughts of warm peace.

Jeff

ps: all please keep Marcia aka Cape Cod Kitty in your thoughts and prayers. Her dad is not doing too well in the hospital and she has been having a tough run of late. [check her blog out for more details]

amy in ct said...

i hope all is well, we have not heard from you in several days
peace to you
amy in ct

Lisa said...

Sharyn - I too am wondering if you are all right. We haven't heard from you in a while. Please know that there are many of us out here who care about you. We are here if you need us.

Love, another mostly silent blogger who loves you and your family.

Erin G said...

Hi Sharyn, I've been checking this site and am worried about you. Are you okay?
Big hugs from a fan of yours.
Erin

Davesfan said...

I, too, have been a silent reader of this blog since its inception and am worried about your recent silence. I know your other boys are gone and you must be missing their simple presence but you have the rest of us to support you. Please let us know what is going on with you.

Samantha Garbers said...

Sharyn,
I'm yet another silent reader and I am worried that you haven't posted in a while. I hope you and the boys are OK. Please let us know how you're doing.
Sam

ribaby said...

Thinking of you Sharyn during these most daunting (and hopefully final) days of winter and praying that warmth and sunlight are finding their way into your days. Hang in there...there are many, many faceless loving spirits who are lifting you up and cheering you on.

Risa in Needham