More Please

When ever Cooper is having fun playing a game with you and you stop he always says, "More Please".  He has a way of making you laugh and enjoy playing the game with him.   When you are really enjoying something you hate for it to stop.  I think of the many times I am enjoying living with Cooper and his parents.  More Please!

Hey I'm still the parent

Several weeks ago I unexpectedly spent 6 days in the hospital for congestive heart failure.  I won't go into all the details but basically my heart went into an abnormal beat, my heart had a clot, and I have a serious leaky valve.   This was my family's and friends'  first encounter with the fact that I am 74 and am subject to illness. It would be so easy to be taken care of yet as appreciative as I am of all the love and concern I still want to be the parent and the adult that I have always been.  I'm not ready to give up yet.

Friends and Angels

Recently I have gotten several emails about Angels are like our friends.   Don't usually read all these emails but lately being sick has made me realize how much I appreciate my friends.    Maybe they are angels.   They seem to be there when you need them even though far away.   They have known you so long that you don't have to explain yourself.  They love you.  I am so blessed to have these wonderful friends/angels in my life.  YOU know who you are.  Thank you.

Angels keep surrounding us.  It's fun to watch my families' friends and how connected they are to each other.  I can see that same love growing in there younger lives.   They meet for play dates with their children, socialize, help each other when they are down or just stay connected because they too know each other and have already been through a lot together.  It is so comforting to know that they have friends who love them and will be around for a long time to come.

Good to be home again

It is so good to be back in your own bed and especially good to hear Cooper yell Gee, Gee, looking for me.   He is like the happy little elephant in the GE Imagine ad on TV.   He comes bouncing into my room as happy as can be and you can't help but have a smile and think what a great day this is.   Being in the hospital is always an experience.   Having volunteered at Texas Children's in Houston for 9 years gave me a great experience of staff and doctors.   So am not afraid of the hospital but there is nothing like home where you feel you have more control over your day and your life.

Shock and Awe

I thought I had bronchitis that didn't seem to want to get better and low and behold it turned out to congestive heart failure.   I won't go into all the details but it is not exciting to hear the words clot and leaky valve.  Am on blood thinner medicine waiting for the next steps.   So first came the shock.  I had no idea and was not even thinking that my heart wasn't working right.   I go in for regular check ups so we are not sure when the heart started its decline.  Here it was Valentine's Day and the test didn't work.  It would mean waiting for a clot to dissolve and you hear these words over and over.  Don't fall down, if you have any bleeding be careful, special diet, get your blood checked every week, etc. etc.  I started thinking hmmmm if I don't wake up in the morning I have lived a wonderful life.  To be faced with all the uncertainty causes a lot of thinking about family and what if this is the big one.

Then came the awe.   My son and daughter-in-law were outstanding in their care and concern for me.  The ICU personnel were excellent and made my week there comfortable.  I started lining up all the blog ideas that I didn't want to miss writing.   Friends and family came to visit.   Good conversations.  Lots of thinking about my life overall and how much I've learned about spirituality and giving to others.

This experience makes you realize how vunerable you are but also how much love and support there is to help you face the next steps. Time will tell.

The things you would never have known about

Being around young people and a grand baby introduces you to many things you never would have experienced otherwise.   I am now a regular Nik Jr. TV fan and can tell you all about the Wonder Pets,  Dino Dan, and Max and Ruby.   By the way where are Max and Ruby's parents?

It's amazing how much is out there and how many children know it all.   At Christmas a little boy that was visiting saw an elf on Cooper's shelf and said to me "please don't move him, he might lose his powers".  That's when I found out all about the Elf on the Shelf Christmas story.  Apparently every child knows about this story.   Some times I think we think our world is all there is and then you step into a child's world and see another whole side of life.  The same thing is true when you are around 30-36 year olds.   What they watch on TV,  think about the world, their ambitions are all fresh and new and you realize how much you have forgotten about your early dreams and interests.   It is great to be awakened and remember just by watching and listening.

A comforting sound

One of the joys of living everyday with your grandchild is experiencing all the changes from day to day.   Every morning it is such a comforting sound to hear him wake up.   Sometime you hear him singing.  Sometime he sits up in his bed and yells Hey, Hey.   For some reason he doesn't get up or open the door which he could do but waits to see who is going to come and get him out of bed.     Sometimes he reads a book.   Whatever the method you know that a new day is dawning and it is going to be fun and filled with laughter.   It is a comforting sound and you are glad you are alive to experience it.