HELLO 2023...WHAT DO YOU HAVE WAITING FOR ME?

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

January 1 has always been my favorite day of the year. It has always represented a clean slate - a new start - new opportunities.

But this year things are a little murky, well not exactly murky but less straight forward. I have discovered that recovery from this surgery involves more pain than I had expected.  I have learned that I do not feel very motivated when I am in pain. My days are not filled with exciting thoughts of refining plans or goals or new resolutions. Instead I find them filled with a lot of light reading and mindless movies just trying to hold on.  I am a little disappointed in myself and have become even more impressed with people who live with chronic pain and still remain productive and cheerful. I hope I can soon pass through the pain and be able to move forward.

I did discover the TV series The Chosen and have 'binge watched' the first 2 seasons and now wait for the weekly installments of season 3. Somehow the writers and the actors have done a remarkable job of bringing the reality of the Savior and His mission to the forefront. I am grateful to be watching it as I feel more mindful of the Savior.

The holidays passed quietly with a sense of peace and contentment.  My children made sure I was not alone on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and days before and after. I am grateful for my family. They are a huge blessing in my life. I am also grateful for caring friends. It is nice to be remembered and to know that people care about me.

I am still wearing a back brace and am not supposed to bend, twist or lift anything over 10 pounds for 3 months. Doctor also said no laundry, no vacuuming and no loading or unloading the dishwasher for 3 months. It is hard to remember not to pick things up. But I have a 'grabber' which extends my arms a couple of feet and allows me to 'pick things up'. But I still need to ask for help with some of the basics.

Our family had a game night planned at the clubhouse in my neighborhood. But about 1 hour before it was to begin our neighborhood  power went out. So we had to cancel our game night. It was a disappointment but all is well. One of my sons immediately drove up to care for me until the power was restored and I realized in all of my organizing I had not prepared for power outages. Now I have some nice little lanterns that he brought. Hopefully I will not have to use them often.

I missed taking a picture of some beautiful  snow we had. For a week or more my patio was filled with about 14". It was beautiful and pristine the way it hung on the patio furniture.   I miss it now that most is melted. I hope we get more.

It is hard to believe that it has now been 1 1/2 years since Steve died. In many respects it seems like it has been forever not just 18 months. As I have been reading in his journals from the 1980's I have been struck by the many sacrifices he made for me and our family. I am grateful for him and the privilege of our life together. I miss his healing hugs and his soothing foot rubs. He was not a perfect man but he was a good man who loved me, our family and the Lord.

As my life moves forward I find I am much more laid back. I am learning that lower expectations bring less disappointments. Being grateful for many little things strengthens me and eliminates feelings of sadness that I might have experienced in the past if plans did not work out.

There are many plans in place for 2023. I hope I will feel well enough to take the trips and spend  time with my family. I hope I can have a clear enough mind to organize my family history materials and write the stories that need to be written.  More and more I recognize my own mortality  and hope I can fill my remaining time on this earth with experiences that will strengthen my posterity.

May you all be richly blessed in this New Year!

Amaryllis are one of the joys of the Season!

SPONDYLOLISTHESIS OR 'SPONDY' ...AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Spondylolisthesis  - so, that is a new word in my vocabulary and a word which has changed my life. Basically it is a condition in which two discs run out of alignment with each other. In my case L4 and L5 were out 1 inch when ever I stood up causing back and leg issues. Little wonder that I had so many leg/foot issues on my trip to Canada!

After a CAT scan and an MRI and much prayerful consideration I decided to follow the surgeons recommendation and have surgery to fuse those two offending discs. Now it has been 1 week since I have 'gone under the knife'.  Amazingly the pain in my right leg was gone immediately after the surgery and I am optimistic that my other  back and leg pains will diminish and allow me to have an active life again.

My family and friends have been so helpful and I have survived this far. Last night I was able to roll over in my bed without agony which was huge. The brace is uncomfortable but reminds me that I must not bend, twist or lift - for the next 3 months. The surgery pain is diminishing but is still definitely there. I am optimistic that I will be up for a cruise on Jan 25 with my daughter.

By necessity holiday celebrations will be minimal but 2 of my sons decided I should not be alone, so on Christmas Eve a family will visit and on Christmas Day another family will visit. Phone calls, texts  cards, and other visits have been most welcome. And we have scheduled a Family Game Night for December 27 when those who can will gather for a time together.

Today is the birthday of one of my sons who is a remarkable human and I am grateful to be his mother. I am grateful to be the mother for my other 3 sons and my 6 daughters. They are ALL remarkable humans as are those they have married who treat me as their own. I am grateful for 38 plus grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and the 2 who are on the horizon. And there are bonus grandchildren so our 'clan', if you will, numbers well over 70 people. Steve and I would have been married 55 years this coming January 2023 if he had not died in June 2021. We could not have imagined all these wonderful additions to our families.

My gratitude is overflowing. I am at peace with my life. 

I am grateful for my marriage of 54 years, 4 months and 19 days to a remarkable man who loved me despite my weaknesses and  provided me with all I needed in the way of physical comforts.  I love my house and feel good being here. I am grateful for a car which takes care of my needs. We struggled financially earlier in our marriage but somehow we were blessed with all we needed and all that I now need. But of course I miss him.

I am grateful for a few fun January days in New York with a grandson. I enjoyed his company. It was wonderful to have a son and his family stay with me while they waited to move back to Tokyo. I enjoyed a few days in San Diego and Yuma with a daughter's family - for a grandson's  performance on the Battleship. And then a couple of days in Star Valley to visit Steve's grave and his brother's family.

The long awaited and heavy planned trip to Canada and our 45 days of "sister" time. And then the San Diego trip with some of the other widows from the Villas. Not so excited for my subsequent bout of Covid but grateful I survived. Glad for my sister's October visit and her help in my getting more organized; and we got to see Southern Utah. Glad for my creative writing class which has given me some writing skills. Looking forward to more writing in the future. Glad for our daughter and family to be here for Thanksgiving!

Grateful to have my house decorated to Christmas. My sweet daughter-in-law insisted she could put up my tree when I had decided it was too much work and she just did it. 

This has been a very busy year. I have not had time to be bored and in fact still have things that need to be organized to be fully moved into this house.

Next year marks the beginning of the "Grandma trips" when I will hopefully take all of my grandchildren on trips. Paris in April with a grandson will be the inaugural trip and then a Safari in June with 2 more grandsons. Also a cruise with my daughter the end of January and a cruise with the villa ladies the end of April. There will not be time to be bored.

So, this year ends with gratitude and hope for the future; with my testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Real. It is a simple testimony that I know the Plan of Salvation is Real and that a loving Heavenly Father watches over all of us and will make everything right in the end.

May your lives be richly blessed!