Thankful Thursday

Hi everyone :D I hope this Thankful Thursday has started off awesome for you all. For me it has! Yesterday, @SISTERBRATION twitted about Oprah's Lifeclass coming to Houston and how to apply for tickets. So, I applied. The tickets were drawn lotto style. In my excitement I totally forgot to retweet, but I did retweet @GrowingOWN when she twitted about it. Anyway, I was picked! I couldn't believe it! My best friend Julie and I will be attending! Yay! I hope to you ladies there!

Today's Thankful Thursday post is going to be a bit different and it's a long.

Last week my boyfriend and I attended his cousin Joey's funeral. The death of a loved is always hard. One never knows what to say. All I knew to do was hug the grieving family. My condolences to him and his family.

After the funeral when we got home, my boyfriend put a paper on the refrigerator. I was curious as to what it was. So I started reading and the tears just started flowing. These were poems Joey had written. So, I'm going to share them with you all. I'm not going to edit them. At the end I'll post some thoughts.

Joey's introduction of himself:

I was born with Cerebral Palsy, and I am confined to a wheelchair. I cannot speak. As a result it is very hard for me to communicate with people.

I use a computer for my writing, it has a special device called, Kenx. The device allows me to use the computer with a head switch, Because I cannot use my hands.

I went to school in Kenedy Texas, where I was place in a special education class. I learned very little there.

I finely graduated and then I went to Palo Alto College part time in San Antonio Texas Where I made the president list twice.

I started writing when I was seventeen years old, I'm now twenty seven.

My work includes, No Where To Turn, If They Could See Me Now, and Feelings. And several other poems.

                                                            If They Could See Me Now

I arrived here one cold December night. The trip to life was a hard one. the doors of life almost closed. My parents decided to to call me Joseph, to them nothing was wrong, Mother began to notice something was wrong. When she put me on my stomach I would not pick up my head, my hands were always closed. My parents took me to a doctor in San Antonio. The doctor said, I had Cerebral Palsy and would be mentally retarded. I would like to see that doctor now, I wonder what she would say? would she talk to me or about me?

                                                              Feeling

I can't express my true feelings so I'm writing on a machine that has no feelings.
It can't hug me & tell me it's alright, it will get better.
Oh god, how I wish that I could walk. Oh how I wish I could sing & dance.
God why did you send me down this way?
I know that you must have send me down this way for a purpose, but what was that purpose?

Ok, my thoughts. I believe we all have a purpose. I was deeply touched when I read 'Feelings' his life did/does have purpose. That's why I decided to share his story. Joey did not let his physical condition defeat him. He forged on like a true soldier. Joey taught me a great lesson. As long as we have breath and a heartbeat, we have purpose. We're all faced with obstacles and challenges in life. Like Joey, we should be forging on, living our best lives right here, right now! Joey, I know you're in Heaven singing and dancing! You're making sure we receive all of God's blessings!

When I asked his sister Kathleen if I could share his poems here's what she said, "Of course!!! If it were up to him, he'd want them spread around the world!" Thank you K for allowing me the privilege of sharing your remarkable brother!

I don't ask much, but today, I'm asking you all to share this wonderful man's story.