Having a stroke is a serious thing! There are times when I have wondered why I am still alive, or why I recovered as well as I did. It could have gone some other way and I recognize that. There were many times after I first came out of the induced coma, when I wondered […]
Mark on the Move
Difficult, But Not Impossible!
I suspect that anyone who has suffered a stroke or some other crisis of health will have a lot of stories of how difficult it was to get through those days. I remember a time when I would have said that difficult wasn’t even the right word to describe how I felt. Everything loomed ahead […]
Prayer Power
When you experience any kind of health crisis, but especially one like a stroke where you spend months in rehabilitation before you see the progress you’re hoping for, your spirits can definitely sag. You can start to wonder if prayer really works, or if God actually has the power to heal you. The One who […]
A Stroke Survivor’s Gratitude List
There’s something about surviving a crisis of health, especially when it blindsides you, that reminds you that you have no real control over your life. That lack of control, that sense that you survived something that others didn’t, can also make you grateful. As a stroke survivor, I suspect you know exactly what I mean. […]
One Step at a Time
Recently, I’ve had the privilege to get out and speak to audiences around the country on behalf of the American Heart Association to help promote stroke awareness. Since having my own strokes in 2007, I’ve learned that no matter what I’m doing things truly work out best for me if I am willing to take it […]
Living in Hope
It’s interesting to me to note that after a physical event like a stroke, your body and your mind have only one goal, and that is to recover. You want to mend as quickly as you can and get back to what feels normal to you. Your desire to heal and to fully recover is […]
At the Heart of Listening
I remember a few times when I was raising my children that they would catch me in the middle of something I was working on and try to talk with me. They may have talked for five minutes with me saying things like, “Uh, Huh” or “Okay.” Finally, they would get frustrated and ask me […]
God Knows You and Chose You
I don’t know about you, but I confess that there have been times in my life when I was uncertain that God knew who I was. I mean, I didn’t imagine there was anything very special about me that would inspire God to call me to do any big jobs for Him. In fact, I […]
A Stroke of Faith
It seems that nearly every circumstance of life comes with a challenge and an opportunity. Certainly, having a stroke comes with multiple challenges. I don’t intend to diminish those challenges in any way, but like all issues of life, we might also discover opportunities. We might find that we have new eyes to see what […]
Is Anybody Listening?
Most of us enjoy a good conversation. We exchange ideas with another person and we take turns being the talker and being the listener. It satisfies something deep inside of us to know that we have communicated and connected with someone else. Sometimes though, when it comes to prayer, it feels like a one-way conversation. […]