The last day of January has arrived. Our cold wave is moderating, and I can be grateful for that. It's actually 21 degrees F (-6 C) outside - happy dance!
With this post, I complete another Ultimate Blog Challenge and another January, and I am grateful for both. It was a busy January, hard in a number of ways, stressful in others.
My spouse and I received some wonderful news yesterday. My mother in law saw her oncologist today, and he feels that the radioactive treatment killed her cancerous tumor. He will know for sure upon one last (we hope it is last) follow up visit in April.
So, we can take a very deep breath - exhale, and inhale.
And then face reality. Even with this good news about her cancer (which, thankfully, was caught at an early stage):
1. She still has the medical bills, which have started to come in. We don't know yet how much money she will owe after Medicare pays its share;
2. She is still in her mid 80's, with the same age related problems as she had before the cancer diagnosis; and
3. My spouse's attempts to gain guardianship of his brother who has autism seems like it is stuck in quicksand. (I might be able to write a book about this at the end of the process - if there is an end!)
I said I would blog more about my brother in law, and then backed off a little, unsure if my readers would want that. For February, I will continue to include him in this blog from time to time.
I still think about blogging a book. Now, maybe as I take that deep breath....
I am grateful for my friend in Brooklyn, who I haven't blogged about for a while, her husband, my guest photographer friend, my spouse and best friend, and others in my life.
I am grateful for my spouse's last aunt. I won't be able to attend her 102nd birthday party and, although I saw her on Christmas Day, I would have loved to have seen her again before spring. (she lives over 150 miles from us).
And finally, last but certainly not least, I am grateful to my readers, old and new.
Before I go on to (in the words of a former boss, now retired) "the next event" I wanted to thank you all, my faithful blog readers, for your support and your comments.
Even if I don't say it enough, please know that it helps me so much that you are all in my life, too.
And now, onward to February!
Friday, January 31, 2014
12 comments:
Thank you for visiting! Your comments mean a lot to me. Due to a temporary situation, your comments may not post for a day or more-I appreciate your patience.I reserve the right to delete comments if they express hate or profanity, are spam, or contain content not suitable to a family blog.
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What a great post! That is wonderful news about your mother-in-law!! Hope her news continues to be good. And best wishes for custody of your brother-in-law.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for your best wishes. I hope your good wishes can make the guardianship process start to smooth out. I hope so, anyway.
DeleteThis was great! And I love your 'attitude of gratitude'! Congrats on your mother-in-law and good luck with your writing!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think, the older I get, the more I understand the value of gratitude.
DeleteThat's great to hear about your mother-in-law. I hope she has continued good health.
ReplyDeleteAn aunt's 102nd birthday. That's incredible! I'm not sure what my mental capacity would be at 102, but I hope to live that long or even longer!
My husband's aunt is absolutely sharp. Very frail physically, but her mind is active, and she still is quite aware (and eager to discuss) current events.
DeleteOh, Alana. I'm grateful to have you as an overseas friend too. I've missed you over the last few days. I know your days are stressful and wish it wasn't so. Best of all, I'm grateful you have the strength to carry on blogging.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Francene. Your comment really made me smile-thank you. We don't have the physical caregiving at this point and we hope we can get some mental rest now, at least temporarily.
DeletePositive things happen to positive people- your attitude is great and I'm glad to hear about your Mother in Law :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sophie. I try to keep the good attitude. It's so true that the only thing in life we can control is our reactions and our attitude.
DeleteMy "guest photographer" posted this, but apparently Blogger ate it. So here it is:
ReplyDeleteYou give strength to countless others who read your blog and realize they aren't the only ones facing family issues that too often feel overwhelming. And you bring joy with all of your travels, flowers and insights. Thank YOU, AM!
Thank YOU, EQ! (you know about this topic all too well, and you keep me hanging on!)
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