Were down here in the valley with our boys and a few of their friends. For his birthday, our oldest (Ryan) wanted to bring some friends down to goto Amazing Jakes. We also brought PJ, who is one of the kids on my baseball team and a kid that I have coached for a few years. I call him my 4th son:) as his parents are super busy so I'm usually picking him up and dropping him off to and from practice everyday. I could write an entire post on the joy he brings to every situation but I'll save that for later.

Today though I just wanted to mention something about the Special Olympics. Actually not even really about the Special Olympics, but those involved.

The hotel were staying at is obviously one of the host hotels for the Special Olympics. There are kids (and adults) everywhere. Those that are participating all have their uniforms on with the track number on their chest.

I don't know many kids that are special needs, but have enjoyed observing many of the kids that are staying here at the hotel. One of them even helped me prepare my coffee this morning in the lobby of the hotel.

I found myself thinking that most of us could really learn a lot from these young people. Whether many of them have the mental ability or not to give a crap about what others think about them, they don't seem to portray it or worry about it. I saw them hugging people they just met, talking loud, laughing louder, just being in their moment.

On the other hand, most of us that are deemed "normal" or without any handicap remain in our own little shell of comfort. Just keeping to ourselves and socializing with those that we know.

Can you imagine a world where we socialize more like those with a "mental handicap?". Talk about Christ like! These kids cast judgment on no one and accept everyone for who they are, loving all those around them, and not being afraid to let it show.

I could sit and watch these kids for hours. Jealous in many ways and noticing a desire to be more socially relaxed the way they are.

They bring a huge smile to someone who although states he doesn't care what anybody thinks, but obviously does. Don't most of us worry about that very thing? If we didn't, we would be more like these young people. More loving, more carefree, more socialable. In many way, who is more handicapped?
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Whoever invented lunges is a very very cruel person!!
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Just want to say kudos to my mom.  She ran/walked her first Pat Tillman run (or any other run for that matter)   She will be 61 this year and she did the 4.2 mile run (which is further then I would ever care to walk or run).  

Good Job Mom!!!!

Relaxing Weekend.

Well our first little league of the season is tonight.   It sure is good to finally get started.   We had a small scrimmage on Saturday and if our performance on Saturday is any indication of how tonight is going to play out, we are in trouble.   Nerves, nerves, nerves.     It's amazing how good a kid can perform at practice and then forget everything when under pressure.   I suppose even as adults we can fall apart the same way.  

I've been trying to get my parent letter written, but for some reason I'm having a little harder time this year.  Not sure why, this will be the 16th letter I've written over the last the 16 years, you would think I would just copy and paste it.    Anybody that know's me, knows that I over analyze everything, even coaching.

This year I'm struggling with the fact that quite often Little League baseball is very little about the kids and very much about the coaches.   Several of us have coached against each other for years now.  Anytime I'm worried about losing to a certain team, I'm guilty of putting my own selfish interest above what I should really be focused on, the kids and teaching the game.    I want to distant myself from the "coach battle" and give 100% of my efforts to teaching these kids.   After all, if you teach the game, teach the fundamentals, all else will hopefully fall into place.    

Equal playing time.......................Sorry but this only happens in very rare occasions.   I'm not going to play a kid who spends most of his time playing x-box over a kid that spends extra time at the field.  I want to see effort and I want to see the desire to improve and learn the game.

I've got a really fun group of boys this year.  More fun then I've had in years.  Maybe because they are older.  This year I've got mostly 11 and 12 year olds and 2 ten year olds.    For the most part they work well  together and seem to get a lot pretty well.

Anyway, we'll see tonight if we can get the nerves under control.  Gotta have fun, but also gotta take is seriously.


On a completely different note, I had a really good relaxing weekend and I so needed it!!!  After the scrimmage on Saturday, my family and I went to have Pizza and Ice-Cream (yes the diet was put on hold).   Then around 3:00, Coby my 10 year old, talked me into going fishing.    We took a quick drive up to Horseshoe lake and pretty much just froze our finger off in the wind.    We decided quickly to call it a day and try again the next morning.

So the next morning we headed up to Sunrise lake.  I've never fished this early in the year and really had no idea what to expect...........that was good, because all we caught was one.   The lake was gorgeous though.  When the wind wasn't blowing, the lake was pristine.

 Then came Hawley Lake.  Still no fish, but what a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.    Coby had never been there and for a ten year old, he was just amazed at how beautiful the scenery was.  I think he wanted to hike more than he wanted to fish.   As the saying goes, "a bad day fishing is better than a good day working".  So very true.  

   
I needed the break and actually can't wait to go back up as soon as possible.  Hopefully soon the fish will start biting.  We shall soon see.

Hope you all had a great weekend too.

Thanks for reading.

You Watch Over Me
by Aaron Shust

I was lonely

You came waltzing over to me

And Your eyes they saw right through me

And You heard each one of my cries for help

And You came to rescue me

I was broken

Every prayer that I had spoken

Reached Your ears and all my tears weren't cried in vain

You carried all my pain

And put me back together again

You watch over me in the darkest valleys

You watch over me when the night seems long

You help me to see the way before me

You watch over me; You watch over me

Always faithful

To be leading, at this moment

Interceding for Your children

Though I've wandered astray from Your infinite ways

You've never left me alone -[to chorus]

Take my frozen heart; awaken me

Never once have You forsaken me

Even though I walk through this shadow of death

You will guide and defend me

You'll guard and protect me

Even though I walk through this shadow of death

You will lead me home

I'm thinking about starting a different blog.  I think it would be easier to write about certain things if it wasn't connected to the company.   While were still a small town company, I think it wise to keep business separate and write the more personal stuff on a different site.

With that said, have you ever wanted to forgive someone for something yet struggled like crazy from within to whole heartily forgive that person?   Even more difficult, a parent or step parent?    Will expand on that later, likely in a different blog, but I'll give you the new blog site when it's up and ready.

All I know is that life is full of challenges.  So many ups and downs, so many trials.  When your trying to live the life of a good Christian person, sometimes these challenges can really weigh on you.  Lots and lots of prayer and hopefully answers.

Growth.................equals more challenges

I'm fried!!!  Not in the sunburn kind of way, but in the mental psychological kind of way.  Work, personal, etc, I'm just fried, burned out, tired.  I'm not even sure why.

I started AOM 9 years ago.  First employee was a very part time respiratory therapist.  Now we have 9 employees.  With growth comes many more challenges.  My goal has never been for AOM to be ran like a corporate company.  This too can cause a whole new level of challenges.  Corporate companies have rules/regulations, policies, that have no gray area.  Every patient, every client is treated the same.  The patient   per se becomes a number, an invoice, a quota.   In many ways this makes it much easier for employees  to follow the "ground rules".  

At AOM, I refuse to let the company go there.  Every patient is an individual with their own individual needs.      This becomes difficult when say the customer speaks to Employee A then calls back and speaks to Employee B.   When treating each patient/client differently, it is immensely important to keep notes about all communication made with clients.  This way each employee knows what were doing to help meet that patients needs.  It may be financial, extra products, special equipment, etc, but again, each patient is treated individually.

The can cause problems when all of your staff isn't on the same page.  Then you throw in the excessive audits that Medicare is performing.   Who's job is it to gather all the paperwork to meet the deadline of the audit?  Is it the intake coordinators? Is it the collections staff, or the billing staff?   Some DME companies now pay a staff member just to deal with the audits, that's how overwhelming Medicare has become.  No longer is a prescription all you need.  Now you need face to face clinical notes, history and physicals, ortho evaluations, etc.  it's never ending.    It's not that medicare is combating fraud among DME companies, but they are just making it harder to justify payment.

I had a great meeting with our pharmacy rep today.  I don't have to deal very much with medications,  but did you know that Medicare recipients have to buy into Part D?    Did you know that there is a whole separate deductible for Part D?   Did you know that it capped out at $2700.00?    I didn't.   I would guess that most seniors hit that 2700.00 mark pretty easily.   I guess what I don't understand is how is a 70 year old senior, on a fixed income, is supposed to afford all of this?  

Sorry, there was such a delay in posts.  I wanted to make sure all the Weightloss Challengers saw the results.  I still haven't heard from a few of you and if you haven't received your prize, it will arrive this week.

Thanks for reading.