Update - Sunday, March 28, 2010
I taught bible class and preached sermons for the first time since my surgery, and everything seems to be working very well. So far, my voice is good for about 20 minutes before it starts to tire and I sort of run out of gas. I think part of it is there is still a little bit of swelling that is still going down, and it's been so long since I've really used my voice that much that it just needs brought back into shape. The tricky part is unlearning all of the physical compensations my body and voice devoloped over the years as I tried to overcompensate for my weak voice. It's been difficult learning to relax my muscles and just let the voice work on its own, but I've found reading out loud helps a lot. When I can read the words in front of me and not have to think about what I am saying, I am able to relax much better and just let my voice do the work. Usually, after reading aloud for a few minutes, I can engage in conversation much easier, but I find after a while, I start reverting back to the physical overcompensations I've grown accustomed to over the years. It'll take a while, but I'm convinced after a lot of practice I can get it right. I can't thank you enough to all of you who kept me in your prayers and offered words of encouragement. About all I can say about the enormous generosity displayed is "WOW!"...I don't know if I have the proper words to express the amount of gratitude I am feeling and Thank You just doesn't seem to be quite enough. To all who have supported and helped me with financial donations, prayers, words of encouragement, phone calls and emails, we thank God for your love and support and will always remember you in our prayers. Much Love and Thanks! God bless. -- Daniel Ruegg
I taught bible class and preached sermons for the first time since my surgery, and everything seems to be working very well. So far, my voice is good for about 20 minutes before it starts to tire and I sort of run out of gas. I think part of it is there is still a little bit of swelling that is still going down, and it's been so long since I've really used my voice that much that it just needs brought back into shape. The tricky part is unlearning all of the physical compensations my body and voice devoloped over the years as I tried to overcompensate for my weak voice. It's been difficult learning to relax my muscles and just let the voice work on its own, but I've found reading out loud helps a lot. When I can read the words in front of me and not have to think about what I am saying, I am able to relax much better and just let my voice do the work. Usually, after reading aloud for a few minutes, I can engage in conversation much easier, but I find after a while, I start reverting back to the physical overcompensations I've grown accustomed to over the years. It'll take a while, but I'm convinced after a lot of practice I can get it right. I can't thank you enough to all of you who kept me in your prayers and offered words of encouragement. About all I can say about the enormous generosity displayed is "WOW!"...I don't know if I have the proper words to express the amount of gratitude I am feeling and Thank You just doesn't seem to be quite enough. To all who have supported and helped me with financial donations, prayers, words of encouragement, phone calls and emails, we thank God for your love and support and will always remember you in our prayers. Much Love and Thanks! God bless. -- Daniel Ruegg
