Tales from Tuesday

So sometimes when I am talking to Jamie, I feel like a teacher who is constantly quizzing her.  (the following is a fictional exchange that resembles a lot of our conversations.)

Me:  Jamie, what's my name?
Jamie: Lailah.
Me:  And who am I?
Jamie:  My sister in law.
Me:  Do you know what happened to you, like why you are in the hospital?
Jamie:  I was in an accident, and I hit my head. 
Me:  Are you tired of me asking you questions?
Jamie:  Yes. Please shut up. 

Okay, that last one hasn't happened quite yet...well, she did say she would like it if I stopped talking, but that's because she was tired and is totally not the same.  ANYWAY.  I am on this tangent because Steph and I went down to visit Jamie last night and had a really lovely evening.  She was already resting in bed when we got there, so we just hung out a bit.  We started talking about her potential move to a transitional residential facility, what that would look like and whether she had any questions.  Below is a rough recount of the conversation. 

Me:  So what do you think about going to a place like that?
Jamie:  Well I'm still uncertain.
Me:  What kind of questions do you have?
Jamie:  Will there be people there that I get along with?
Me:  Probably.  I know there are a lot of people there around your same age.
Jamie:  Are there Christians there?
Me:  I'm sure there are.  One of the places is in Bakersfield, so it's kind of like the Bible Belt of California.
Jame:  (giggles)
Me:  (giggles)
Steph: (guffaws.)(JK - she just giggled, too.)

It was really cool to watch Jamie process what she was thinking about, and figure out the questions she wanted to ask.  You can tell she is really thinking about something because she will pause and get a particular look on her face.  We also had a converation about how she doesn't want people looking at her like she is handicapped.  I reassured her that I knew she could walk and that she was capable of a lot, and that people who know her know that she is not "handicapped." I said, "Jamie, it sounds like you want people to just know that you're still you."  She said "Yeah, kind of.  But I am different than I was in high school.  I'm more mature." That was a pretty cute exchange. 

You may all be happy to know that I also asked Jamie if it would be okay to put some pictures of her up on the blog to kind of show everyone how she is doing.  She said that would be fine, but that she gets final approval of all pictures.  She also informed me that I am not allowed to put any indecent pictures up.  Good to know.  :)

I am going to ask her a few more times, to make sure she is really okay with pictures, and get her seal of approval. 

It was a really good evening.