Catheter Removal - Soon!

Two days left until the Foley Catheter is removed!

Please pray that everything starts working again like it is supposed to.

It's been 7 weeks since I have held Ty! And 5 weeks since I have seen him!

And that is way too long a deprivation for this Grammie!

:(

Free Piano!

Anyone want a free piano!

I have been trying for weeks to find a new home for it.

I even called the local nursing home to see if they wanted it for their rec room. Nope.

The piano came into my life when I was in first grade. My grandparents bought it new for Jeff and I so we could learn to play. And I have spent hours and hours on it! Playing .... composing ... singing.

But now that I am a Grammie ... my priorities are changing. I want the room for other things. Learning things for my grandsons. Space for riding toys and building blocks and other little boy toys.

I still have a tiny keyboard I can peck out my parts for our praise band. And some day I hope to get a smaller electronic keyboard I can put in the den.

But for now ... the big piano needs to go... to make room for instruments of new memories!

Anyway want a free piano!

:)

Liberating Realization! No One Cares! :)

Due to complications from my surgery, I am still walking around with a lovely catheter, and the huge hideous bag that accompanies it.

Because of that ... I have been staying close to home, and feeling rather housebound. No church, no restaurants, no social engagements. I'm just too self-conscience to let anyone see me with the darned thing.

But today ... that all changed! I got up my nerve (actually I was out of chocolates and needed a chocolate fix BAD!) so I stuffed the bag and as much tubing as possible into a green plastic grocery bag, hooked it all to my pants pocket, and set out for Aldis and Wallyworld ... in a town far far away. ;)

And ya know what? I discovered a liberating realization. No one cared! :)

The older folks who saw me all gave me sweet understanding smiles. The middle aged folks were all too harried with their own lives to even look at me. And the younger folks were all too worried about who was looking at them to bother to look at me. And even the WalMart greeter (who I was afraid would want to check the contents on my bag - but she didn't) wasn't offended. She just gave me the sweetest smile and wished me a truly good day.

Wow! All these weeks I have been staying home cause I was afraid I would shock or offend people! And no one cares!

But seeing how I still care, I'm still gonna stay home from church, restaurants, and social engagements until I get the danged thing out. But it is so liberating to know I CAN go out ... in a town far far away ... if I so choose!

Guess I'm not as housebound as I thought.

Millie!

My younger daughter in law and I have developed a close relationship. But we have struggled with what she should call me. "Sue" seems too impersonal. And she is very close to her own mom, so calling me "Mom" doesn't seem right. And "Mother-in-law or Mom-in-law" is too much of a mouthful.

So! I suggested she call me "Millie", which I shortened from MIL (mother-in-law). And she is! It is an affectionate term she can use for me, the other mom in her life.

Pain ... And the Journey of Healing

Well, I'm 11 days post operative now, and still in a lot of pain. I guess I thought the recovery process would be like this ... I would be a little bit better every day until ... Viola! ... I was pain free.

But I am finding this journey of healing to be a lot like the journey of life. We may have a day or two of smooth sailing ... but then the storms begin and we may get blown sideways or backwards for awhile ... or the winds die down and we just drift along in a sea of sameness.

But it is all a journey none the less. And each day is a new day to embrace. So we sail on ... doing the hard work required ... while keeping a watchful and hopeful eye on the horizon.

And someday ... hopefully soon .... we will arrive at our destination ... which is a port full of wholeness and health ... from the physical ... spiritual ... mental ... or emotional pain we are working to heal.

Surgery!

After spending 8 weeks being worn down by heavy bleeding, I was finally able to have surgery to remove the offending feminine body parts. Complications arose ..... but I am now on the road to recovery.

The hardest part of the process is that I can't hold my grandbabies for 6 weeks. I have seen Ty a couple of times since then, and he keeps reaching his arms out to me and tugging on my pant legs so I will pick him up and hold him, and I can't. And I cry. He finally toddled over to where I was standing, took me by the finger and led me to where he wanted me to go. I was so overwhelmed that he figured out a way to keep me in his life in spite of my restrictions. He is truly my special buddy! I only hope I can have as close of a relationship with little Rocco. Just hard to do when he is 16 hrs away! :(

All in all ..... the surgery will be worth it in the end. I am already feeling stronger now that the bleeding has stopped. Just gotta get over a few more hurdles ... and I will be better than ever ... in a few weeks!