lift magazine 20-3

VOLUME 20 / ISSUE 3

Magazine

A Parent Thought

Getting Rid of the Gloom and Guilt

Hukill Burgers

Family Camp is on the Way

Fall 2010

Unexpected Visitor

“Who’s There?”

On the CoverMaking burgers can be dan-gerous work!

Tim from Camp Daniel slaves at the grill for the campers at this year’s camp.

2

3

Editor’s Letter

6

Fitness

9

Outdoor Adventures

10

Mom’s Moments

12

Crafting Community

14

Community Lifts

16

A Parent Thought

18

Caregiver Conversations

20

Life on the Horizon

www.liftdisability.net

regular features

3www.liftdisability.net

One of the things I miss most about living in the Midwest is the leaves swirling around the yard and the piles we would create as we raked the leaves together. The perfect

entertainment for hours to any child with an imagination.

Here at Lift we try hard to be creative in thinking of new ways to entertain our families with disabilities. I am so excited to announce to you that this month we have launched one of those new ideas. Check out the article on page 14 to find out about a new adventure, Break-away, for families that will be in July 2011. Registration opens in November so don’t miss out! You can find out more about Breakaway on our website at www.liftdisability.net/breakaway.

Along the lines of creative we have added a new column for all you crafty folks. Check it out on page 16. Crafting Community is a new program of one of our partners, Access Life. Look for craft groups in your area to be opening soon. To find out more check out their website www.access-life.org

Whether you are crafty or just enjoy creation we hope you have a fall that is filled with swirls of fun and moments to remember. ENJOY!

Rhonette HukillEditor in Chief

Editor’s Letter

The leaves are swirling...

EDITOR IN CHIEF Rhonette Hukill

SENIOR EDITOR Mike Beates

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Caregiver Conversations Rhonette Hukill

Community Lifts Jim HukillFitness Heather Pennington

Lead Jim HukillLife on the Horizon Chris Maxwell Mom’s Moments Nicolette Samuel

Outdoor Adventures Doug GoddardSibling Sidelines Little Tony Piantine

The Lighter Side Jane Petrak

Lift Disability Network Offices 4700 Millenia Blvd. Suite 175

Orlando, FL 32839 407.228.8343

Lift Disability Network Mission To lead in connecting the disability family through a network of interactive media initiatives, innovative family support programs, and instructive learning

modules.

Copyright © 2010 Lift Disability Network. No part may be reproduced without written

permission from publisher.

EDITORIAL COMMENTS & SUBSCRIPTION QUERIESPlease e-mail [email protected] Phone 407.228.8343. Or write to Lift Disability Net-work, Lift Magazine, 4700 Millenia Blvd. Suite 175,

Orlando, FL 32839.

Magazine

THERE’S MORE TO SEE ONLINE.Check out our website at

LiftDisability.net

4 www.liftdisability.net

For more details or to volunteer go to:www.liftdisability.net/breakaway

July *6-10, 2011Lake Yale Conference Center

Breakaway from the busyness of life and enjoy a week of fun, relaxation and spiritual renewal. Are you a family that faces disability every-day? Then come BREAKAWAY for an unforgettable week!

During your stay one of our compassionate Crew Members will assist your family to guarantee the best family experience possible.

Registration now open

DON’T MISS OUT!!

*volunteers arrive on July 5th


I don’t know about you, but fall is one of my favorite

times of the year. Breath-ing the fresh crisp air, hear-ing the fallen leaves crunch under wheels or feet, seeing the absolutely vibrant colors that God displays in once true green colors is fascinating. The heart of God and His love for us is illustrated in such a beauti-ful time of sea-son change.

This heart of God is the life-giving Gospel of Jesus, just like the human heart is the center of the cardiovas-cular system and our source of life. When we trust God with our whole heart and lean not on our own understanding like Prov-erbs 3:5-6 says, our lives line up much more with living for God. After all, Jesus says the first and greatest command-ment is to, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Mat-

Guard Your Heart for Fall: Wellspring of LifeBY HEATHER PENNINGTON

thew 22:37). So what does it mean to involve our whole hearts in the physical act of worship in caring for our Temples – the house of God in us? It means exercising and challenging that heart to be its absolute best so that we may live to glorify Him.

To set our hearts on things above is our fitness focus for this issue (Colossians 3:1).

In the fall, as the days are shorter and the weather gets cooler, we tend to be less active. It is important, when we think about our bodies being Temples of the Holy Spirit, that we continue to stay physically active so that we can continue to chal-

lenge that life-giving source of our lives: the heart. We don’t want it to get stagnant and have our cardiovascular health diminish during the fall and winter. This is true also in our spiritual lives as Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

The heart is a muscle like every other muscle in our body. In order to improve and ward off decline, it must be challenged or over-loaded. But, we also know that it is very important not to overload the heart too much. Every person has an age-determined target heart rate that helps deter-mine intensity. It is a simple

calculation based on age that allows a person to know their Predicted Maximum Heart Rate (PMHR), or the maximum beats per minute our heart should pump for maximum health. Once this is determined, percentages of this maximum can be figured to make sure that we are exercising safely and ef-fectively to benefit our heart

Fitness


health for overall wellbeing. Typically, a healthy heart rate range is between 55-85% of your Predicted Maximum Heart Rate and is expressed in beats per minute (bpm).

Here is the calculation with an example of someone who is fifty years old:

Calculate: 220 – age (50 years) = 180 beats per minute (bpm) PMHR

Multiply 180 by 0.55 to get 55% of the PMHR which is about 100 beats per minute.

Multiply 180 by 0.85 to get 85% of the PMHR which is about 150 beats per minute.

Therefore, the target heart range for a fifty year old is 100 – 150 beats per minute. The simplest way to monitor this is during activity of any kind is to stop and count your heart rate for 6 seconds, then add a zero to the number that you counted. You have arteries to the right and left of your Adams apple and this is usu-ally a good place to check your pulse by placing your first and second fingers on your neck. This is a simple way to ensure you are challenging your heart enough for benefit but being careful not to exert too much. Some individuals wear a heart monitor that can

Fitness

HEATHER PENNINGTON , MA Ed, CSCS; Personal Train-ing and Fitness Planning/Con-sulting.

[email protected]; www.limitfreetraining.com.

be purchased inexpensively to help monitor intensity for activity.

So let’s get out there and enjoy this magnificent season and the cool crisp air. Here are some tips and suggested activities for car-diovascular activity defined as any repetitive movement that involves your largest functioning muscle groups:

• Cycling (leg or arm), walking, pushing a wheel-chair, swimming, station-ary arm or leg bike, raking leaves, jogging, simple arm swings or movements, danc-ing, and much more!

• Set a goal of 3-5 times per week, starting with 10 minutes a day and work-ing up to 30-45 minutes per day.*

Remember to calculate your target heart rate range and then keep moving to make your heart happy and healthy for the fall. Let us turn our hearts and minds to continually following Jesus so that our spiritual and physical health has our hearts set on HIM.

*See a physician before beginning an exercise program if you have any questions or concerns with specific health conditions or medications.


This summer has been a busy one for Leanne and

me but also a very reward-ing one. I have not been able to get out and fish as much as I’d like or as much as I normally do because of our ministry travel schedule. However, the times I have gone fishing I have enjoyed myself thoroughly. I’ve qui-etly delighted not in the size or quantity of fish caught but in the time spent with family and friends.

During June, July, and August, while preparing for our community outreach in East Tennessee, we went out fishing with my dad several times. Before going any fur-ther, you should know that my dad is not a huge fisher-man like me. He does own a pontoon boat but loves taking folks out and show-ing them the local birds, trees and coves on the lake as much or more than trying to catch the fish in it.

In turn, our outings on the boat were very differ-ent from my normal fish-

ing trips. They were not the usual focused intense time on the water I spend guid-ing the trolling motor to and through every piece of wood, grass or rocks that might hold a lounging bass. Rather we enjoyed leisurely trips trolling for whatever might bite and even engaged in sightseeing! Yes, that’s right! I sat on the deck holding my rod in the water while we trolled and looked at the scenery.

This left me feeling a bit like a fish out of the water at first. But as I breathed in the fresh crisp morning air and felt the cool breeze blowing across my face, I settled into the new routine. This relaxed approach gave us time to talk about the weather, foot-ball, and friends. Often times we were all simply silent and still, basking in God’s beauti-ful outdoors.

Now don’t get me wrong here, we fished. In fact, I caught my first walleye, drum, and smallmouth bass while trolling around Doug-

Taking TimeBY DOUG GODDARD

OutdoorAdventures


las Lake. None of them were worthy of mounting on the wall, but they were firsts for me just the same. I’ve caught plenty of 5, 6, and 7 pound bass in my lifetime. This was a season of resting in God’s outdoors not conquering it.

Often times God presses us through life’s events, situa-tions, and circumstances so we have to take time to stop and rest. That, my friend, is a good thing. It is a bless-ing to be enjoyed. There is joy in the journey and in the seasons of life. God is there in each one, always with us. Rest in Him every day and along the way.

Outdoor Adventures

DOUG GODDARD is a c5/6 quad-riplegic from a 1983 diving accident the summer be-fore his junior year in high school. He came to know the Lord through this experience and be-lieves that God not only has a plan, but a good plan for folks affected by disabilities. One of the many bless-ings Doug enjoys, on top of being married to his best friend Leanne, is that of God’s great outdoors. He loves to fish, hunt, explore, and just be outdoors. Despite his disability, with God’s help, he does!

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me

beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

(Psalm 23:2-3)


As I walked behind her into the living room, I saw a man standing there just inside the open front door. It took me a little while to realize that it was a police officer. At this point just let me inter-

Unexpected VisitorBY NICOLETTE SAMUEL

Mom’s Moments

I’m really not certain if there is any lesson or teaching

opportunity in the following story. But, like most stories involving my daughter Han-nah, it is just really funny. At least it was after the initial shock wore off. So, let me be-gin with a little background of the events leading up to the incident in question.

It was a hot summer day. I had just finished mowing the lawn and was in dire need of a shower. Hannah was watching a movie in the living room, which is located at the front of our home. After informing her of my intentions, I headed to the guest bedroom in the back of our home to remove the sweat that had my clothing plastered to my skin. After a short, but invigorating shower, I went briefly to check that Hannah was still where I had left her, and then returned to blow dry my hair. In what seems like a very short amount of time, because only half of my short hair was dry, Han-nah was calling to me from the door of the guest room.

When I shut off the dryer, she informed me there was a man who wanted to talk to me. I was a little confused so I asked, “On the phone?” “No, come” she said as she motioned for me to follow.

COUNTRY APPLE DUMPLINGSServes 16

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough1 cup butter1 1/2 cups white sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew ™

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinna-mon. Pour over the apple dumplings. Pour Mountain Dew™ over the dumplings. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.


NICOLETTE SAMUEL has been married 12 years to her husband Shaker. Combined they have 3 chil-dren. With her husband as Pastor, Nicolette finds herself very involved in church min-istry. Over the years she has learned many lessons, many of which come from her daughter, Hannah, who has Down syndrome.

Mom’s Moments

ject that, yes, I was dressed. Although, I’m sure that the look on my face and the stream of incoherent words that came out of my mouth would be enough evidence to cause an officer of the law to question my mental state. Before he could say a word, I spewed a multitude of ques-tions. “Was she outside?” “How did you get in here?” “Did you open the door?” “What’s going on?”

When I finally let him speak, he told me the follow-ing. “Ma’am, I’m just follow-ing up on a phone call, its standard procedure. We re-ceived a call from a telemar-

keter who claims that they called this number intending to sell insurance, and a small child answered the phone. The child informed the caller that they were all alone and hadn’t eaten anything for 2 weeks.” At this point the officer looked over at my daughter, who was content-edly watching her movie and munching on peanuts. Then he looked back at me and said, “Obviously, she’s fine.”

After the officer left, and my heart was back where it belonged, I was over-whelmed with the hilarity of the whole situation. Life is just never boring. So, now

I have replaced the child safety door knob covers with double-keyed deadbolts. And I always take both my cell phone and the home phone with me whenever I take a shower. Just in case!


Ever wonder what to do with all the Christ-mas Cards you receive each year? My Aunt gave me an idea several years back when I received a little packet in the mail from her right before Christ-mas. The package contained a beautiful collection of unique gift tags made out of Christmas cards she had received. So now through-out the holiday season I collect in a special basket the Christmas cards I receive and their envelopes. Then after the hustle and bustle of the season is over, I can use the cards to make gift tags for next Christmas. It is a quick and easy craft that is also environmentally friendly and adds a personal touch to your Christmas packages. No two tags are alike. It all de-pends on the artwork used on the card and how much of each card you choose to use. Sometimes one original card might make two or even

Crafting Community

Recycling with a purpose

three gift tags depending on the size and artwork. Use your creative eye to decide if you would like to focus on perhaps a word or phrase on the card or even a small por-tion of the featured artwork, like an angel or a bell. Once the card is cut to the desired shape and size simply punch a small hole in the top, side or corner. You can then tie a coordinating piece of yarn, ribbon or cording through

the hole. Now the card is ready to be signed and at-tached to a Christmas pack-age or goodie basket.

The best thing about this activity though is that as I take time to re-read the cards, I can pray for the per-son or family who sent it to me a year before!

BY LEANNE GODDARD

LEANNE GODDARD is Co-Found-er of Access-Life. To find a Crafting Community in your neighborhood go to www.access-life.org

Free event for families with

disabilities to pack and send

Christmas boxes to children

in third world countries.

Volunteers & items needed to get involved go to: www.liftdisability.net or call 407-228-8343

• Ourgoalis1,000boxes• bringafriend• Christmascaroling• decoratingsugarcookies• facepainting• balloonsandmore...

Hosted by

Central Florida

Christian Academy

700 Good Homes Road Orlando, FL

BENEFITING

Our Partners

Saturday, November 6th10-2pm 2010presents


Hukill BurgersBY JIM HUKILL

They were called “Hukill Burgers.” Each evening

after a hot, humid, evening Worship service everyone on the rustic campground would flock to a little shack. It was not much more than an old work shed suspended on cinder blocks, but people would line up at the counter and start barking out their orders. Everything from ice

cream cones to soft drinks were shouted out. Some-times one would be in complete awe that some of these people had just left an electrifying, spirited camp service. It must be how God feels at times as we all em-phasize our wishes.

The top order of any night was a greasy burger paddy

sandwiched between two precisely toasted buns. The completion of any great day of camping activities was to sit with family and friends while consuming an old fashion “Hukill Burger.” They were called that because each year my family would sign up to man the snack shack for a week of fam-ily camp. As others would

Community Lifts


sit listening to an exuber-ant, demonstrative speaker waving and proclaiming the Word of God, my family would slide out of the ser-vice to prepare for the com-ing rush of appetites.

To this day I remember the exhilaration as my dad lifted my wheelchair into that old snack shack. I was positioned against the counter, given an order pad and instructed as to what inventory we had. Soon the grill began to heat up and the air was saturated with the aroma of grease. What great childhood mem-ories come rushing in as these images are replayed.

Ever since my teen years, those days of having the family gather for a week of fun, fellowship, and a faith renewal have held a trea-sured place in my heart. These deposits of life-chang-ing moments motivated me passionately to pursue God and passionately to pursue relationship with others. They are truly moments I want others to share.

Lift is delighted and enthu-siastic to announce an op-portunity for families facing disabilities to join my wife, Rhonette, and I for our first

family Breakaway week of re-freshment July 6-10, 2011 at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center in Leesburg, Fla. This is a dream come to life for the Lift team and we want our readers and families to share in this moment.

There is much planning ahead, more announce-ments to come, but we just couldn’t wait to share this ex-citing news with you. There is a place for your family to participate, so mark your calendar and begin to make plans to attend Breakaway July 6-10, 2011. Unfortunate-ly, there is no snack shack, but there are many other opportunities for folks to vol-unteer and serve. So contact us and join us for this great week.

I can still smell those burg-ers fryin’.

Community Lifts

JIM HUKILL is the Founder and Director of Lift Disability Network.

Throughout his life Jim has rolled his wheelchair past one bar-rier after another and the result is a schooled life in overcoming limits.

Getting Rid of the Gloom and GuiltBY BARB DITTRICH

It happened one Tuesday morning. I was lamenting

how guilty I felt for not being able to care adequately for my family because of ongo-ing knee surgeries. At the same time, my girlfriend, Sue was feeling bad about some people conflicts she found herself caught in the middle of. We were both comforting each other and realized how silly we were for the guilt we felt. Then we wondered aloud, “Why is it that women always feel so guilty? We’re so good at beating ourselves up!”

It’s true! We can be incred-ibly hard on ourselves, es-pecially as special needs parents. There is a kind of guilt you can’t just laugh off. Questions haunt us: What if I had just done something different in my pregnancy? Is God punishing me? And for those of us whose children have a genetic disorder: Is it all my fault?

Once we get through the diagnosis phase, the guilt too often remains. We feel like we can never do enough

for our special kids. As de-pleted as we may feel, we even feel remorseful about entertaining the thought of taking a small break.

Here are some insights to help you begin to address the onerous emotion of guilt:

1. Take a step backward. Un-til you get out of the forest, you often can’t see the trees. Perspective is often essential to determine if your guilt is truly warranted or not. Ask yourself: What would I say to a friend who was in exactly the same position that I’m in? Often, you will find that

A Parent Thought


BARB DITTRICH is the Executive Director and Foundress of SNAPPIN’ MINISTRIES. To hear her speak on “Grace Amidst the Gloom of Guilt” contact SNAPPIN’ to schedule an engagement.

A Parent Thought

you’d go easier on the friend than you are on yourself.

2. Adjust your expectations. Stop expecting perfection from yourself. You are a hu-man being like every other person in the world. The future of the world does not hang on your every action, even where your child is concerned. God can and will cause everything to work out for the best, often in spite of you (see Romans 8:28).

3. Forgive yourself. If God sees fit to forgive you (and He tells us so numerous times in His Word such as Colossians 3:13), shouldn’t you cut your-self the same slack?

4. Humble yourself to re-ceive help. You may live un-der the delusion that you can handle everything on your own without the interven-tion of others. That is simply foolhardy. Besides, we rob others of the blessings they receive when they serve us out of the kindness of their heart.

5. Be practical about your guilt. Did you make a mis-


take? What do you plan on doing about the mistake now? Simply stewing in guilt will not solve a problem. Come up with an action plan for addressing any serious er-rors you have made. This will liberate you and help you to move on.

These are just a couple of ideas to get started on deal-ing with that overwhelm-ing nag of regret. No matter what, guilt needs to be root-ed out of its dominant role in order for a parent to be effec-tive.

*Reprinted from September issue of Snap Shots. To sub-scribe go to snappin.org


of those loops is placed or twisted onto a needle, but it is never really secured until the garment is completely finished and tied off. Until then, the loops must always remain on the needle. That is why dropping a stitch is so scary. If you ever let one stitch off the needle with-out having one beside it to hold it together, you might eventually unravel the entire garment!


a scary process. As I com-pleted my first few rows, I was amazed to see that, first, I had done it correctly, and second, the garment was ac-tually going to stay together.

As I continued with my project I began thinking about the knitting process. You see, this age-old craft uses needles to intertwine a series of loops using yarn or thread. The thing that amazes me is that each one

Most people know that I tend to be a

little loopy. Sometimes my thoughts are slightly off beat, but that is not re-ally the kind of “loopy” I was thinking of. Those who know me know that I love to knit. If fact, I usually have a basket full of half-finished yarn proj-ects at the side of the couch.

Recently I started a gar-ment that requires you to drop stitches. This can be

I’m a Little LoopyBY RHONETTE HUKILL


RHONETTE HUKILL has been a full-time caregiver to her wonderful husband, Jim, for nearly 17 years. Together, by God’s grace, they face the everyday challenges of life with disability.


The Bible uses the word “knit” a few times. Some, I am sure, you can recall off the top of your head. There is one, however, that caught my eye the other day. In 1 Samuel 18 it says “Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of Da-vid, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” It is said that David and Jonathan had such a special relationship that they were almost one heart and one soul. This is also how we should be with Christ. Our hearts should be joined or knit with His so that we become one.

When I think about that loop ready to be dropped off the needle, I can’t help but think of myself and the challenges I face managing a life of disability. It would be so easy for me just to drop off the path God has for me. I am most thankful for the secure loop next to me, Jesus, who keeps me from unraveling my whole life. In the end, if I trust that secure loop and the pattern that is be-ing formed, I will become a garment that can withstand wear and tear. I will be a loop among many being knit together to create a beautiful piece of art.


Compassion: A Month for LoveBY CHRIS MAXWELL

Matthew 5:23, 24

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

February reminds us of romance. Songs, commercials, and cards inform us of the du-ties and delights we label as love. Valentine’s Day gifts go on sale right after Christmas. Let’s not wait until January for a resolution or February for love. Let’s begin today.

This time, we’ll leave off the songs, the scenes, the stories. Instead, here is a “Love List.” Glance at the assignment. See possibili-ties for acts of kindness. Choose to live in love, replacing missed opportunities with ministry moments.

• Smile at a friend. Thank them for the many blessings they bring your way.

• Smile at a stranger. A glance from eyes of one displaying God’s love is such a con-trast to the common looks of lust or anger.

• Forgive someone who hurt you. Real-ize how the loving God has forgiven you.

• Write a note. Make a call. Send a check. Serve a meal.

• Engage in conversation as the one listening.

• Do to others as you wish others would do to you.

Life on the Horizon

CHRIS MAXWELL is an Author, Speaker & Director of Spiritual Life

www.chrismaxwellweb.com

• Do something for someone who has been kind to you.

• Do something for someone who has done wrong to you.

• Verbally thank someone who has cared for you, confronted you, corrected you, cautioned you, and continued to love you despite your mistakes.

• Pray for someone. Keep it between you and God. Believe He will bless them in amazing ways.

• Refuse to let a problem about an-other person stay with you in this year. Love enough to really, really, really forgive.

“Resentment, bitterness, and a lack of forgiveness anchor us to a past that cannot be changed. We cannot go back and undo the damage of yesterday, but we can undo the damage it is causing us today. We do that with the act of forgiveness” (Stephen Arterburn: Healing is a Choice).

(From Chris Maxwell’s latest book Unwrap-ping His Presence: What We Really Need for Christmas. To order the book, visit his website at www.chrismaxwellweb.com.)


Life on the Horizon

Every good and perfect gift is from above, com-ing down from the Father of the heav-enly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows

James 1:17

elevating life in the disability familywww.liftdisability.net

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