Thanksgiving Nov 22, 2007

Thanksgiving is perhaps the best of Holidays in the U. S. because it is simply food, family and Thanks. It was a great day for us. Elizabeth and Denny and the children were with us all week. This Thanksgiving Denny's family (photo on right) came over and joined us for the day. It was a wonderful meal prepared mostly by Denny's Mom. It really is a season for Gratitude.

On Friday the adults went to see Beowulf in 3D and went out to dinner. And on Saturday we took the kids to Thanksgiving Point to see the dinosaurs. They love to dig up the dinosaur bones in the sand and play in the special areas. It was great. The day's highlight was the BYU/UofU football game in the afternoon. BYU pulled off the victory-- to the delight of most (We discovered Denny is a Utah fan).

As a pre-season Christmas treat, go to the following link and download the free lectures on 1)Christmas in Victorian England and 2)Christmas in 19th Century America: http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/HolidayLecture2007.aspx?ai=26520&WT.mc_id=FLAct20071123&pc=Campaign Joseph and Tim are habitually listening to books and lectures such as these on CD and MP3.

It's hard to believe the year is running down and Christmas is around the corner.

Hard Work and High Goals - 17 November 2007

Joseph has redoubled his efforts with Physical Therapy, looking forward to a month of intensive therapy in December. He has made arrangments for Mike Erickson a certified Physical Theripist to come to the house twice a week besides the once a week therapy at Neuroworx. He has a few weeks hiatus from acupuncture since master Lu has returned to Taiwan for a few weeks holiday over Thanksgiving.

Efforts continue with School work at the U of U. Joseph enjoys his classes and is doing extremely well.

His Sister Elizabeth and husband Denny are here with the kids for the Thanksgiving week. What a joy. This morning Uncle Joe had Cheyenne on his lap watching 'Care Bears'. It is great to love and be loved.

B, Y, and Lu November 11, 2007

This week Joseph and his dad had a real treat on Thursday as they were invited to the BYU vs TCU football game in Provo. Warren Brunson, a neighbor and great friend of the family, has been doing the stats for BYU sports for many years, he made arrangements for the experience.

When Joseph and Tim arrived, Warren and his son Mike (who also helps on staff) met them and escorted them to the area on the field where the team enters the stadium. Jim Hamblin, the BYU Academic Coach, met them and gave Joseph a team hat and shirt. Then down on the field they went to join the pre-game festivities (the photo on the right is of Warren and Coach Hamblin).

It was a great game and BYU won 27 -22. They gave every one a cool BYU beanie. . . it proved handy as it got colder as the night wore on. It was a great time and a good memory. Joseph is attending the UofU, Tim graduated with both BA and Masters from USU and both have been BYU football fans for decades.

Acupuncture:

When Joseph goes for stem cell treatment in China, they do intensive physical therapy as well as acupuncture. As a part of the research in separating out what benefits come from the Stem cell treatment itself, we decided to do intensive physical therapy in December and begin acupuncture treatments. When Dale Hull, founder of Neuroworx, [See Blog entry for Sunday March 12, 2006 (http://josephtaggart.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html)] began his recovery from his C4/C5 SCI he had intensive acupuncture treatments as well. It will be interesting to observe any impact in Joseph's case.

Joseph is receiving acupuncture treatment from Cheng Tsang Lu:

"Master Cheng Tsang Lu has been teaching the Chinese martial arts for over 30 years, has trained hundreds of students, and was the first acupuncturist licensed in the State of Utah. Master Lu was born and received his training in Taiwan, where he was twice National Kung Fu champion. During his 8 years of study as apprentice to Grand Master Chian Ho Yin, he learned the ancient Chinese arts of Acupuncture, Tai Chi and Kung Fu. After a successful career teaching Tai Chi and Kung Fu in Taiwan, Master Lu immigrated to the United States in 1974. He was the first acupuncturist licensed in the State of Utah in 1983, and has taught extensive classes at locations throughout the Salt Lake area, including the University of Utah, and at his own studio. Master Lu's Health Center." http://www.luhealthcenter.com/home/index.php. Master Lu is a member of the LDS Church and has successfully treated Taggart family friends who had sports injuries. His wife is a physical therapist with exptensive professional experience as well.

It has been a fascinating experience to begin acupuncture treatment. The reflexive responses from Joseph's body are surprising to us. The regular home excercises Master Lu perscribed, massaging Joseph's fingertips and toes and stimulating them with a toothpick is most interesting, as is the bodily response. This is quite an experience we are embarked on. . . stay tuned.

Gavin's Blessing - November 4, 2007

There are special days in a family's history that are rites of passage and special in every way, spiritual, emotional, and social. Today was one of those days. Gavin Denny Bird was given a name and blessing by his father today assisted by Uncle Joseph, Grandpa Taggart and other Priesthood holders. Gavin has had difficulty with his little tummy, crying all the time with pain and discomfort. Elizabeth's private prayer this morning was that Heavenly Father would allow Gavin to rest in comfort and not cry all during the blessing and fast and testimony meeting. The Lord heard her prayer and he slept like an angel all during the meeting.

Elizabeth and Denny both bore their testimonies with simplicity and power. There were few dry eyes in the meeting. Lives were changed and testimonies were nurtured. As the family gathered afterword there was the rejoicing known to those who love the Lord and each other.

Joseph and Tim spent the afternoon at Grandpa Shaffer's house recording their history and testimony on video for future generations. It was wonderful and deeply rewarding. Generations in the future will enjoy Joseph's insightful questions and Don and Barta's responses filled with wisdom, testimony and good humor.