Email Inspiration Received (EIR) from good friend and classmate GaryS….
I could so see me trying to dance up and down the stairs while playing a tune! Or at least trying as long as my breath holds out. Who’s with me on that?
Guess I better get into shape, but then I figure that’s the whole point of this, huh?
But wait!
On this 9/11 anniversary weekend, flags fly, “what you were doing that morning” memories come back to us, and families directly affected by the attacks are still remembered by all with great sadness of loss and senselessness of reason.
An unforgetable day, I first heard a sketchy report on the radio that a plane hit one of the Towers as I arrived at work. My daughter Tiffany was in school in NYC at the time, and I said to myself “she has no reason to be in that part of the city this morning”, and I set out about my morning with an under-the-breath prayer that the “accident” would not be too tragic for the City. Well the events unfolded, as we all know, and my family’s lives became one of the many chapters written that day, although comparatively insignificant with most others…perhaps that is another post if interested, but know Tiff was safe that day.
It has been a while since I posted about Raving Fan service. Maybe too long. Today was good in that it provided me reason to shake my head. Shaking in disbelief? Yes. Shaking in “tell me I didn’t just hear that”. Yes. Shaking in “I got something in my ear”? Yes.
Here’s my shaking story: I’ve been home-medicating a sinus cough all week. After a couple idle threats and a plea or two (all from Deb and FD), I called my 25-year+ doctor to schedule an appointment – it was 12:45 p.m. I got the ever-pleasant phone recorder saying “our office hours are…we take lunch from 12:00-1:00”. I hung up thinking I really needed to run a business like that – don’t take phone calls over lunch. I called back after 1pm and a young lady answered. I asked to see “Jack” for a coughing aliment (I really don’t like to see anyone else but Jack). Continue reading “I shake my head and drop trough”
My personal favorite month is just about over. It has found me taking 856 photos so far this month (as of this day and time of morning).
It is a time of year when nature starts preparing for winter. Animals fatten up (including me), the sugars in leaves make for admirable fall colors, kids seem to get more energetic with cool days and chilly nights. You gotta love it. Continue reading “October is the best”
Email Inspiration Received (EIR) today from my good friend David (Stapp), whom I haven’t spoken face-to-face with in probably 8 years, but have recently been forwarding emails to each other. Here’s how this message goes today:
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A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. Continue reading “EIR: This explains why I forward jokes…”
For those of you blog regulars (that are still with me), you know I have a good friend – Jai Jai – that seldom holds back on commenting on most of my postings. Ya gotta love her…agree with her, no…but ya do gotta love her.
Well she’s needing some blogger love, thoughts, and prayers. The girl’s advisors (doctors) decided to give her a surgery opportunity yesterday – a couple weeks ahead of time. Just know, she would probably rather have been talking college football over lunch than dealing with this “recruiting violation”. Some chronic health issues lead to yesterday’s surgery and this morning’s text message saying she’s “sore but I’m in good spirits” was welcomed. Atta a girl!
OFBgrs: one of blog faithful could use a bit of healing thoughts and supportive prayers. Little Natalie had heart surgery on Thursday: see Amy’s Two under Two. A friend of Amy’s, Jenna, has updated her blog that Natalie’s surgery went well, but neither blog sites have since updated Natalie’s progress.
Amy, our OFGNe Eli’s heart surgery tugged heavily on all our hearts. With a successful surgery and recovery, he’s now more kiddo than can sometimes be handled…and we absolutely love it that way, as will you. Continue reading “Natalie, and Amy, and Trenton, and Landon”
The life of this blog has provided an outlet for many different emotions over the few short months of its existence. Through my stories the blog has tried to make you smile, laugh, love, remember, cry, enjoy, celebrate, relax, reflect, anticipate, honor, and most of all think. This evening, I find myself working through all those emotions. The weekend had a roller coaster of ups and downs worth of emotion. An accident 500 miles away and a third birthday only 15 minutes from home made for an trying time for all of us when all said and done; wrap the weekend and put it on the shelf.
My great niece Madison (Deb’s niece’s daughter) celebrated her third birthday with mostly family this afternoon. “Madi” is a charm of a kid that can melt even the hardest of hearts. Fortunately, a Madi-party has attendees that she’s already mushed their heart. So we all just sit, watch, and hope we get a long hard hug from her when it’s our turn (a few of us try to capture just that right picture of her). Three years old – oh my – and she’s already able to tame a heart, heal if it’s broken, and instill hope in the hearts of all who know her. Many of us struggle our entire life just trying to accomplish one of those attributes.
Check out Eli’s progress. Don’t anyone tell him he had surgery 15 days ago that had his chest and heart wide open. How ’bout those surgery wounds quickly going away. Thanks Grandma Sue for sending the pictures…not sure who to thank for photography – perhaps everyone. I think I’m gonna starting calling Eli “TK” for “tough kid”.
NOTE: Eli’s condition is being updated through the “comments” portion of this blog posting. Click “read more” and then scroll to the bottom of the page, OR click the”# comments” at the bottom of the post – it will jump you straight to the comments. Feel free to leave your comments. FYI new commenters to this blog will be screened initially (by me) then after that first time, subsequent comments will be instantly posted.
Eli Ross May was the trooper of the day yesterday.
At Denver’s Children Hospital, Eli’s Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD) and a cleft of his Mitral Valve was repaired after about 5 hours of surgery on Friday. Everything went according to plan.
I’m sure Eli is really sore and they obviously have kept him sedated. All is well with everyone (except for a bit of exhaustion on the part of family) according to the two updates from OFB TR.
What great news. Thanks everyone for thoughts and prayers – keep them coming over the next several weeks.
Pictures from OFNi Tara Continue reading “Eli, our little trooper”
Eli’s condition is called Atrioventricular Septal Defect (AVSD). In layman’s terms, Eli does not have a tissue wall in the upper heart chambers that normally would separate his oxygenated blood from de-oxygenated blood. The heart and lungs are unduly and severely stressed, and several physical childhood (infant) developmental progressions are effected. Eli’s condition, best I can ascertain at this time (thanks to literature sent by his Grandma Sue), is textbook. He has experienced over the past several months little to no weight gain, fatigue, bluish complexion, appetite and nourishment concerns, and pulmonary illnesses. Other health complications have developed as a result of his AVSD condition. Continue reading “Eli, our little man”
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