Doing the Next Thing—Written by Denise

(This post was written by Denise, Gilbert's wife)

This guy just keeps making things work. His approach to life has always been, “Just do the next thing,” and it has served him well in his recovery. Looking back over the nearly-seven months since his accident, time and again, he has simply done whatever the next thing has been. From the first days when getting the back brace on was all he could manage in one session of PT, to his appointment this week where he walked around the room with a rolling walker multiple times (about 200 ft per circuit). In every phase he has simply focused on doing the next thing.

Today that involved an old towel and several old t-shirts carefully cut and arranged to cover the scooter so he can use it at his shop to spray cabinets (and not damage the scooter). He usually navigates the shop in a wheelchair, but that has presented limitations because he has to move it, put on the brake, do the job, then take off the brake, move and repeat. No problem for him; he just comes up with another way to get the job done! Hence, the covered scooter, ready for him to resume familiar tasks. With it, he can reach farther and travel while working—spraying the length of a cabinet, for example.

In other modifications, he has a “booster seat” for the wheelchair which puts him up at a better level for using the table saw and puts him above the work surface so he can look at the project. Previously, he sat in a recliner on a hydraulic lift and was limited to being in one place. Now he can sit for longer periods of time and be more mobile with his raised seat on the wheelchair. In addition, he is now able to stand for short periods of time to accomplish some tasks. And now, with the scooter, he’ll be able to conquer other horizons with greater ease.

He even managed to get outside on his scooter and man the snow-blower during a recent snowstorm. It was a lot of stopping-and-starting as he had to change gears on the snow-blower, change directions on his scooter, and then steer both machines at once. But he did it! Until the snow-blower died, that is. We all laughed and shook our heads when he emerged outside in his snow gear atop his scooter and reached for a shovel, but let's be honest—no one was surprised. That's just Gilbert.

Unstoppable. Doing the next thing. That’s my husband. I have to say, I’m proud to be alongside him for this journey! The journey neither of us would have asked for. The journey that’s been harder than anything else we’ve ever faced. The journey that’s not yet complete. The journey we don’t know where it will take us next. With all of those aspects, we are still peaceful that God both allowed it and will use it for His glory. For now, we’ll just focus on the next thing—and trust Him for the rest.