Guess I'll go buy myself a big box of chocolates today (sugar-free of course). There ought to be plenty of bargains in left-over Saint Valentine's Day candy.
Today's the first anniversary of my RE-birth. Exactly one year ago today as I write this, I was being prepped to go into the operating room at the Heart Institute of Inova Fairfax Hospital.
From that moment I had one of my most vivid memories -- my 6-5 son standing near me. a look of concern etched on his face, and garbed in a bright red jacket of the St. Louis Cardinals. Now he's always been a competitive sort, so he's always rooted for a team other than the old man's. But here he was decked out in the reddest Redbird red! I guess he thought if I was about to check out he wanted me to have a vision of him converting to Redbird Nation.
Or maybe he just wanted me to feel good -- anyway, it was quite a vision.
And my Wonder Daughter was in charge of the computer controls, ready to tell the world how the old man did. Five hour surgery, found to have a "severely enlarged heart" and a valve "leaking catastrophic amounts of blood" -- the problem had been expertly fixed but was still on the vent because of breathing problems. Further prayers needed. Thanks goodness the vent came out the next day. During my recovery, my daughter took weeks off from work to help me. That's a special memory, too.
And speaking of prayers, there were many of them that came my way via vr.com, thanks to a thread started by Mary that I'll never forget. I'd never been a particularly spiritual person, but I know now the power of prayer. I am eternally grateful.
Without prayers and a marvelous surgeon, I would not be around today, but now I'm headed out in quest of my box of sugar-free chocolates. Because to quote Forrest Gump, "life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Today's the first anniversary of my RE-birth. Exactly one year ago today as I write this, I was being prepped to go into the operating room at the Heart Institute of Inova Fairfax Hospital.
From that moment I had one of my most vivid memories -- my 6-5 son standing near me. a look of concern etched on his face, and garbed in a bright red jacket of the St. Louis Cardinals. Now he's always been a competitive sort, so he's always rooted for a team other than the old man's. But here he was decked out in the reddest Redbird red! I guess he thought if I was about to check out he wanted me to have a vision of him converting to Redbird Nation.
Or maybe he just wanted me to feel good -- anyway, it was quite a vision.And my Wonder Daughter was in charge of the computer controls, ready to tell the world how the old man did. Five hour surgery, found to have a "severely enlarged heart" and a valve "leaking catastrophic amounts of blood" -- the problem had been expertly fixed but was still on the vent because of breathing problems. Further prayers needed. Thanks goodness the vent came out the next day. During my recovery, my daughter took weeks off from work to help me. That's a special memory, too.
And speaking of prayers, there were many of them that came my way via vr.com, thanks to a thread started by Mary that I'll never forget. I'd never been a particularly spiritual person, but I know now the power of prayer. I am eternally grateful.
Without prayers and a marvelous surgeon, I would not be around today, but now I'm headed out in quest of my box of sugar-free chocolates. Because to quote Forrest Gump, "life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
