Stormy Night

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 6:40 P.M. We had another bad storm last night, which began about 10 PM. There were two tornadoes, winds up to 80 mph, an inch or more of rain within half an hour, hail ranging from quarter size to ping-pong ball size, and as much as six inches of hail in some parts of the city. Severe lightning and an abundance of thunder accompanied this.   All of this started after I had gone to bed for the night. I watched reports of the storm's progress (on television) for little more than two hours. After the main thrust of it had passed the area in which I live, I turned off the television and tried to go to sleep. That was easier said than done since I kept thinking that I was going to be swept up by a tornado and carried halfway across the country.   Yesterday morning, I went to the mental health clinic and saw my therapist, Dale. We discussed a number of things that I have been concerned about since I last saw him two weeks ago. He finally told me that I needed to begin working on solving one problem at a time, rather than several of them.   We talked about the possibility of my getting a service dog. I told him about the conversations I had with my CNA's, and their reaction to my telling them that my doctor had wanted me to get a service dog. I told him that I did not understand why it was okay for one of their clients to get a service dog, but it was not okay for me to do the same. He said he did not understand their reasoning.   Just as some of my friends mentioned on here, Dale thought that my brother could probably be talked into paying someone to walk a dog for me once I got it. He said he was quite sure that if needed, my sister would also contribute some money for this purpose. He wants to see me on the 27th of this month. Dale asked me to bring a list of requirements I would have to meet in order to get such a dog. He said that my primary care physician, Dr. Martin (my psychologist), my social worker, along with him were all in favor of me getting a service dog, and he added, "We are going to make this happen."   I have received two e-mails from my brother in less than four days. The content of the e-mails was polite, but it did not consist of anything spectacular. I am beginning to think that he is feeling guilty about something.