Although, there are lots of folks who do not have power...and will not until Sunday night....ouch! Dad and I were chatting today and sort of laughed in a relieved way. It is usually our region that loses power then we lose everything in the refrigerator and freezer as the ice cream melts onto the floor.....Then we are the last household to regain the power....We sit in the dark because candles worry me and from the background, we can hear the sounds of the neighbors' generators as their houses glow with their own personal power. Jealous? Nope....I like the intimacy of peanut butter sandwiches by flashlight. it is quite cozy as the dogs snuggle to stay warm. Very Norman Rockwell....
OK, on to the big news this week....
The big kid had a birthday and I was thrilled....you see.....
Fade to black.....
This time last year, he was sick....really sick....read older posts......
There was a time when I though he had either ALS, MS, or a brain tumor. No parent, daughter, loved one, friend ever wants to hear this diagnosis. we stormed heaven with prayers and doctors' offices with demands that his illness be diagnosed.
Finally, over Easter weekend, we got the good and bad news. The bad news was a chronic neurological disorder. The good news was that he could live a normal life with it.
It took a year with medications, therapies, experimental therapies, infusions, and steroids....he turned the corner and has been living a fairly normal life. Although.....
He has to......
get enough sleep
work out every day
eat a healthy diet
eliminate junk food and alcohol
meditate
practice his speech to regain resonance
deep breathe
can have a crisis and lose ability to breathe on own
and so on.......
And guess what? Like anything else in his life, he is faithful to his regimen and has been rewarded with increased strength.
Not everything is back yet as his face still droops a bit and his eyes are darker. But he is optimistic and will compete his masters degree this year and begin law school. This is a miracle! This time last year, he could barely get out of bed. Now he is tapering off the steroids......And.....he goes to church each week and gave up chocolate for Lent.....wow! he is his own man and I no longer have to yell through his bedroom door to get the *(S$)& out of bed and get his $^@#&%@ butt to Mass......
Gang, this miracle is something I prayed for and expected. God is good and took care of our young man....
I gave his the option of money or a suit for his birthday. He has a black suit that he bought himself that is so synthetic, if someone lit a cigarette next to him, it would burst into flames. Wisely, he chose the suit....so off to Joseph Banks for a suit, sport jacket and fitting.....
When Nick, the clerk, put the suit on him, I was taken aback at his size, health and vigor....and naturally, his devilishly good looks.....He is going to be a formidable presence in the court room as eyes will be on him and what he has to say. As Nick measured him, he asked if he was a pitcher because his left arm was longer than his right. I had to smile, because his past as a lefty will always be a huge part of his mind, body, and spirit.....
OK, I have gushed enough about my former pitcher who never gave up in a baseball game or in life. He battled like no one I have ever seen, and he is my hero. He has taught me that when faced with adversity, you don't fold like a cheap suit. No, you look at it in the eye, and begin to approach the situation in a systematic manner. Never give up...never, never, right Winston? Right Gary Oldham? (an Oscar's reference).
OK, time for me to work out. Yep, I have not given up boot camps. Today, I had a little birthday cake for breakfast.....don't judge, I am going to work out now.....
Peace!
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