A Book I Am Currently Reading...

A little about the Trivium...

I thought it would be good to speak a little about the Trivium and Classical Education. The longer I am involved with Christian and Classical Education the more wisdom I gain as an educator and parent. I want to take this opportunity to share a little of that wisdom.

Thus, what is the Trivium? It takes learning and divides it into three stages – grammar, logic and rhetoric. Those stages cut with the grain of how children grow and develop. When children are in the grammar stage, they are easily able to store large amounts of information. For example, a few days ago my wife and I went to get our two year old daughter up from her nap. As we entered the room and approached her bed, she looked up at us and began to sing…ABCDEFG…and on went the song until, next time won’t you sing with me. We were shocked. We had sung the ABC’s to her, but she had never sung the entire Alphabet. How was a barely two year old able to remember 26 bits of information? God designed her to be able to remember information, especially when it is set to a tune. Now if I broke the alphabet down and asked her what letter comes after R or even why there are 26 letters, of course she would not be able to answer me. But we have laid the ground work to build on and that building begins in 7^th grade as students formally move into the logic stage of learning, our Dialectic school.

Dialectic school is distinctly different than grammar school because we now begin to teach Logic and we open up the classroom for debate and discussion. The role of the teacher changes from that of a giver of knowledge to facilitator of understanding. Opened ended questions and logical discussions are the order for the day. But we have to have something to discuss, so in the 7^th grade our students begin to read the Classics along with many other Great Books, along with studying Hebrew and Greek. This is when the true academic rigor that the students have been prepared for through the Grammar school begins.

Finally in the 10^th grade our students enter into the Rhetoric School. For us at Bethel Prep, the Rhetoric is our capstone. It is where our students use the facts from Grammar School and their logic from Dialectic School to express their thoughts and ideas on the various subjects they have learned about. Rhetoric School puts a heavy emphasis on being able to clearly articulate and express the student’s wisdom that they have gained over the years.

Books I Am Currently Reading...

Playing in the Rain!!

Can You Tell Me How To Get...

Yes, yes...I have heard the cries of my people, Canney Family Nation demanding for posts. I know there have been many of an angry Town Hall Meetings across the nation screaming for a new post. Well here you go, my people...

The Canney Family recently journeyed north of Philadelphia for a day of fun in the sun at Sesame Place. After stopping to sing for directions, we safely arrived to begin our day. It was Addison, Melissa and myself, along with our friends Rob and Christy, with their almost two year old son, Caleb.

We splashed in the water, rode rides, changed poopy diapers, watched shows, took in a parade, changed more poopy diapers, ate lunch, splashed some more, stared in amazement at poor parenting, more rides, more food and then more diapers. Whew what a day. All in all, the napless kids did great and we, the parents, managed to keep it together too.

Here is a link to more pictures (and more of my skin) than you probably would like to see, but it appeases the grandparents so I do what I must.

Cheers.

Having To Do All The Things...

Dad is closing in on his first week at home. I have talked to him a few times and he sounds upbeat and positive. When we talked last (4/1) I asked him, "What is the best part of being home?" He responded by saying "Not having all those people taking care of me." I followed up by inquiring what was the worst part of being home. He quipped "Having to do all the things that everyone in the hospital did for me." =) Typical Dad and a typical man!

As we chatted Dad said things were going good. He has begun outpatient therapy and he said he was pleased with how it was progressing. He did comment that his right leg is still bothering him, which inhibits his ability to walk. When he wakes in the morning it feels good, but as he goes through the day, the swelling and pain return. He was also was a bit stressed because Tax Day is barrelling down on us all.

I had a good time sharing with Dad some of the things we have going on in our family. My daughter, Addison (who is twenty months today), had a fun time telling Grandpa that she was eating a Boo Pop (translation = a blue Popsicle) while I chatted on the phone.

Dad said people have been visiting and encouraging him. I could tell he appreciates all the support he has been getting. He was especially touched by the reception he received at Church this past Sunday. He said it was "kind of a big deal" when he showed up.

Thank You

As Dad prepares to come home today, I think it is appropriate to take a moment to say Thank You to all of you who have done so much to support Dad and the family through his surgery and recovery. What we had hoped would be four to six days has turned into two months. It has been a long and hard two months. Your support, kindness, and generosity has made this ordeal easier to cope with. I know Dad needs and appreciates all the encouragement he has received. Many of you have eased Missy's worries by providing food, kind words and selfless actions. She wanted me to make sure I relayed how thankful she is for each of you.

As Dad begins the next chapter in his life, I ask that we would continue to pray for Dad's recovery. When I talked to Dad yesterday, he was excited to go home, but at the same time he kept expressing he was worried about the unknown. We can pray that his mind and heart would be at ease as he comes home. We can also all pray for Missy as she takes on the roles that the nurses had in the hospital. They both need our continued love and support.

Remember, we are NOT doing a surprise welcome home party for Dad. We think it is best for him come home quietly without much pomp or circumstance. You are welcomed to stop by for an encouraging word, call or send cards.

Thank You and God Bless.

Here Comes Bim!!

I gave my dad a call Sunday night. We talked for about forty minutes about a variety of things. I shared a lot of things that are going on in my life here in New Jersey. He was excited to hear from his Granddaughter Addison. She told him 'hullo', 'I luv you' and 'ga-night' among other things. =) She is quite the talker for a 19 month old.

Dad was open and honest about how things have been going. He said rehab has been going well. He did tell me, however, that he has been feeling 'blue' lately. I encouraged him that this was of course to be expected and that acknowledging how he was feeling would greatly help in his recovery.

Of course, Dad is excited to be going home Thursday (3/26). He has a countdown of days going on until he leaves that he informs me of each time we talk. He also has a count-up going on of how many days he has been in the hospital. Thursday will be exactly two months since his surgery.

We have decided not to do any kind of welcome home party. I think Dad would like to come home quietly with just him and Miss. I do encourage (with Missy's and Dad's blessing) friends to stop by, say hello and offer encouragement. Cards are still welcomed, as are phone calls. Dad still needs all our support and help.

Thanks!

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

We love you and we hope you have a great day!!

Ready...Set...WAIT!!

Once, when I was about 10 years old, I was walking up to soccer practice. The team was scrimmaging a little before practice began and as I approached the field the coach started to holler for me to jump in and play defense. I was intimated because this was one of my first practices with a new team in a new league of older kids. I did not jump in and a kid scored a goal. The coach was upset and disappointed with me, thus the tone was set for the remainder of the season. I did not like the coach and he did not respect me as a player.

I share this story because Dad is not coming home from the hospital. He has been granted another week, and while I would love for him to be home, I want him to as ready as possible so that it is a positive transition. I also count it as blessing that Missy gets another week to prepare for Dad coming home. The move will be more difficult on her than anyone else, so I ask that you would be sensitive to ways you can help her. Thanks!

The target exit date is now set for next Thursday.

Get Ready...Get Set...GO...HOME!!!

Yes, you read the title correctly...Jim Canney MIGHT be coming home today, Thursday 3/19!!! We will find out sometime this afternoon if he has been cleared for take-off from Riverside.

Missy is thinking of doing a Welcome Home greeting. If he is coming home today and we plan to have a Welcome Home party, I will post it here as soon as it is confirmed. What we are thinking of is having anyone who is available to be outside the house as Dad arrives home. It will be a an encouraging and uplifting time for him.

There is a chance he will not be discharged. If such is the case, it is not a set back. The original target date was NEXT Thursday, so the idea of him being homeward bound this Thursday is speeding things up at bit.

Thank you and stay tuned...

TOBY!!!

Dad is progressing steadily each day, but as we all know stroke recovery is a long road. Unfortunately, no one knows where the road will end or what detours we will encounter as we travel, so we must accept that the journey on this road is now part of our lives. More so for those who are closest to him.

Dad is going through the paces, and as I have stated before he is a 'good' patient. He is doing all the things he is asked to do. However, when is the last time any of us remembers Jim Canney being the employee?? =) He has been the 'bossman' for as long as I can remember. I think prefers being his own boss! Hopefully the thought of getting out soon and coming home will give him the motivation he needs to make the most of his remaining time at rehab. When I spoke to him Monday(3/16) night on the phone, he knew exactly how many days until he is out of Riverside! =D

The rehab staff are terrific. Dad and Missy are glad they had the chance to stay at Riverside. Dad is still looking at a discharge date towards the end of the month, but it could be moved up if he can do what he's currently working on as an outpatient. The outlook for outpatient rehab is that Dad will continue twice a week with all three therapies. The plan is to stay with Riverside's program at a center in Upper Arlington for the outpatient rehab.

Jim had a nice surprise visit Sunday(3/15) from Toby, Dad and Missy's(really Dylan's) dog!! She was excited to see Dad and proceeded to sniff everything in his room. He was happy to love on her too!

An Over Due Update

I offer my apologies for not having updated the blog recently. I have been busy celebrating my wife's 30th birthday day!! Anyway, here is an update from the middle last week...

Dad is seeming more like himself as the days progress. On Wednesday (3/11) Dad went on an outing with two other patients and three therapists. They had planned to go to the Jack Nicklaus museum, but for some reason they ended up going to Target! Dad the other two patients and told Missy all about their experience. They were all happy to be doing something we all take for granted! It has to be great to get out of the hospital after having been couped up so long.

Dad's stamina continues to improve. He is sitting up in a chair all day and working at therapy. After having spent many a meals with Dad watching him eat, Missy invited him to the cafeteria to watch her while she ate. He responded with "If you want me to." That is a very typical statement for him, so off to the cafeteria they went. =)

Dad is fortunate to be in Riverside and they are doing a great job of helping him get better. This week Dad had the help of two good friends. On Tuesday a good buddy was his rehab 'partner' and then Friday another friend had the same honors. It is great that Dad has had such supportive and caring friends. Those two are an example of many that have been reaching out to Dad, Miss and the kids, along with the rest of Dad's family. It is very encouraging to see how much everyone cares and is helping Dad through this challenging life experience.

For more information about stroke and how it affects people, you can go to the National Stroke Association website.

Doing the Laundry

Dad is continuing the rehab process. Once again, it is broken into three parts. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. Here is an update on each.

In Physical Therapy Dad is working on stretching out the right calf and leg. The blood clots in the right leg are still creating a lot of swelling and giving him a good amount of pain, especially later in the day. He is now walking consistently with the aid of one person to provide support and help with balance. Melissa has now been 'officially' trained and is permitted to take him on walks. I told her to be careful he does not walk her to the car in attempt to escape! He is working on building up endurance and keeping good posture. He has worked on other balancing exercises, which help build strength in both legs and 'the core'. We all know that strengthening 'the core' is the big exercise fad these days, right?? He has practiced climbing steps. He is also working on right arm movement and stretching out the shoulder, which he had surgery on awhile ago to repair some damage.

Occupational Therapy works on an assortment of 'real life' things. I have heard Melissa is really emphasizing that they work with Dad on vacuuming and the laundry. =) Oh, and putting the seat down...if they can do that I think all women would classify these people as miracle workers and send their husbands for 'rehab'! =) In actuality they address fine motor skills, sorting and organizing items, plus the 'real life' skills.

Speech Therapy encompasses so much more than making sounds. Their job is to 'work the brain'. Doctors and other such know it alls are always telling us to keep our brains active as we age with crossword puzzles, word problems, etc... That is the type of stuff they have Dad doing. He is literally working the brain muscle. This includes problem solving, reasoning, and memory exercises. By doing this he is strengthening his brain. He is also teaching it to 'rewire' itself. It helps him to search for new ways to do old things. Melissa has said she is amazed at his improvement in just one week.

Dad also gets to do recreational therapy a couple days per week. This therapy tries to incorporate all three therapies into an activity that is fun and interesting. It also involves other patients. A great idea was that the therapist rolled out some fake golf turf with putting holes. He had Dad stand practice putting. Then Dad had to provide instruction to another patient on how to put the ball. They were not too pleased when Dad tried to set up a Skins Game of a dollar a hole with the guy, but hey...Dad will be Dad! =) Recreational therapy is also beneficial because Dad and Melissa get to know the other patients and their families on the unit.

Dad continues to eat great. He still has a consistent and steady stream of visitors. Many of them(you) back for the 5th, 6th or 7th visit!

Dad wants to go home, but has accepted the fact that these people are the experts and can help him get back to where he wants to be. Of course nothing will help him more than all our prayers, so continue to petition to God through Jesus Christ on behalf of Dad.

Thank you and God Bless.

Update

A quick update on Dad. Rehab is going well. He is making significant gains each day. The team of specialist recently met and gave their assessment of how is doing. They also laid out their goals for him. At this time they estimate a target discharge date toward the end of the month. Obviously Dad would like to be home sooner. But we all want him home to stay when he is released, so let us continue to pray that his rehabilitation goes well and he keeps making great gains each day!

How much is one trillion?

$ee for yourself...

ONE TRILLION BIG ONES

Thirteen

Dad has been busy with his therapy sessions, getting on with the business of getting better! Monday was a good day of therapy. He had two sessions of each therapy. I was able to sit in on one of them, speech. They are doing some evaluation work on him, so they had him answer different questions and problem solve. It can be funny to see him sarcastically or humorously answer a question or two. Usually the therapist is not sure what to make of such answers. She will watch him closely for a grin or some facial expression that lets her know if he is serious or not. I take these as signs that the ole Bim is still rattling around in there. She had him do some math problems too. It was all operational stuff, moving from the simple to a bit more complex. He missed a few, but I was impressed with his division skills...quick...what is 377 divided by 29? Put down the paper and pencil...Dad solved it mentally!

Physical therapy went well as Dad climbed some stairs and he said occupational therapy was easy.

Above all I am pleased with the attitude I saw Dad have. He worked hard, listened to the nurses and therapists, and had a good attitude throughout the days. Therapy can be exhausting. My wife Melissa and I had lunch with Dad on Monday after he had already had three sessions. We got back to his room with only an hour to rest before 90 minutes of therapy would begin. After the afternoon sessions were done, Dad plopped into bed. He followed that up with a "dang it, they're going to come get me for dinner soon." It was neat to see him after he got back in bed though. A few times he closed his eyes with a soft, relaxing smile on his face. It was a tired smile, but a good tired.

Again, thank you for your support. The amount of cards in Dad's room is amazing! I flipped through two or three and one of them just happened to mention this blog. That was neat for me to read, but of course this is not about me. I know many people are keeping up to date with the blog, so I will keep it up!

May God's blessings rest on all of us! Amen.

PS The answer to the division problem?? Did you solve it yet? If so, you now understand the title of this blog! =)

Party Pics

Here are some pictures from our birthday celebration

with Dad on Sunday (3/1/09). Enjoy!

The gang getting ready to eat some cake!

Hunter(3), his mom Jamie, Addy (19 months) and her dad Joe.

Entertainment was provided by Addison Canney. =)

Melissa, James and everyone else enjoying the opportunity to fellowship.

Nanny and James keeping an eye on the kids!

Grandpa and the Grandkids

As previously mentioned on this blog, Dad has been moved to a rehab center. Rehab centers do not waste time, nor their efforts. They set to work immediately on helping Dad recover and rehabilitate. He was moved on Thursday and then had three hours of rehab on Friday. Each weekday he has six half hour sessions scheduled. Saturdays are three half hour sessions and Sunday is a day of rest...amen. His rehab is a mix of physical, occupational and speech therapies.


On Saturday I joined Dad, with my wife Melissa, for two of his rehab sessions. The first was physical therapy. They had Dad stand and stretch his legs. Then they had him walk the halls with the use of a walker. Dad completely used his own power and balance to navigate the halls. We walked the 'horseshoe' from the therapy room back to his room. Dad did great. After that, it was off to a speech therapy meeting. They are still doing evaluations on Dad to see what he needs to work on.


Today, Sunday, a large crowd of Canneys came to visit Dad. We gathered in the dining room of his floor to celebrate the birthdays of Hunter(3), Jamie(29) and my Melissa (20-10). It was a great time of presents, cake, kids playing, laughing and visiting.


A special treat for me was to watch my daughter, Addison, interact with Dad. After we got to the hospital we went to his floor and walked down his hall toward his room. We entered the hall from the far end, Dad was entering the hall from the other end, leaving his room. We were a good 20 to 30 yards apart. Immediately Addison recognized her Grandpa and began to excitedly wave, bounce and laugh! She was happy to see Grandpa, to say the least!


With all the work Dad is doing, he gets very tired. After our little birthday celebration, which included Dad eating some cake, he headed to his room for a nap. I walked with Addison down to his room. Addison was adorable as she put a finger to her mouth to say 'ssshhhh' and 'nite nite' to Grandpa. She then kissed him goodnight and said 'I vavue.' =) Dad grinned a soft, warm smile and he told her that he loved her too. Addison is hesitant around men, even men she sees all the time. Today, I do not have a doubt she would have crawled in bed with Dad if we had let her. She was so happy to see him. Later, when we went to leave, there were more kisses, love yous, hugs and blown kisses. Dad enjoyed seeing Addison, along with his two grandsons Hunter and Ayden. There was no doubt they enjoyed seeing him also.


I will post some pictures from the party later on.

Cheers.

It's Good to Hear Your Voice

Tonight at about 6:00, my cell phone rang. The caller ID said Missy, but the voice was nothing close to Missy's. My dad talked to me for the first time in four weeks and one day. The last time he spoke to me was the Wednesday before the surgery. I called him during Lost and we briefly talked about the about the next day's events. Not being able to talk to him for the past month has been difficult. Not because we talk all the time. But rather because any time I call to talk, he is always available. I know that not being able to hear from Dad has been difficult for many. A lot of people depend on Dad and his steady advice and encouragement. It was great to hear from him.


Now, do not let me lead you astray. As many know and as has been reported hear at Canney Family, Dad has been talking for a week or two. Tonight, however, was my first time talking to him as he was well enough to use the phone. Our conversation was short. It was mainly me blabbing excitedly about various things that are going on in my life. I was surprised to hear from him and just rambled about anything that popped into my mind. One funny exchange occurred towards the end of our conversation. I told him that it was good to hear his voice. He responded by saying "It is good to get my voice out." I thought at the time that it was an interesting and telling statement.


There is more good news to report. It was actually the reason for Dad's call. He has been moved from his recovery room to a rehab room! He will do his rehab at Riverside. This is the moment we have been waiting for. The time in which the active and visible recovery can begin. The answer to many prayers! Dad is also able to swallow. He ate three 'real' meals today! It has been four weeks and one day since his last meal of actual food.


Now is a great time to offer your encouragement to Dad. Day in and day out, the experts will be working to get Dad home. Let us all join together in prayer and support to make it happen!