Four out of five of the orchids on my window sill are in bloom. The tallest one has been blooming since late September and now it is January. It was a special gift brought to me in the hospital as soon as I was transferred from ICU. The second one went to bloom in November, the yellow one in December,[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Back to Normal Life.
I went back to work this week. There was discussion with my doctor and Charles about possibly working from home for awhile or doing shorter days. In in the end, I decided to go all in. My co-workers were so warm and welcoming. My boss presented me with a fragrant bouquet of flowers. I was temporarily given a VIP parking[…]
On Sisters …
Two of my top five favorite writers are Nora and Delia Ephron.[i] Nora and Delia are sisters who (along with the younger Amy and Hallie) all grew up to become professional writers. There was never any question that they would be writers. Their parents were successful screenwriters, and it was their mother who set all four girls on the path[…]
On My Heart (A Series)… Two Month Mark.
It is November 25, two months since my heart surgery. I was going to celebrate the milestone by doing a Christmas light walk at our local zoo tonight. They string light displays all over the zoo and sell tickets to the public. My sister’s family and Charles and I had made plans to go. But, it turned much colder today.[…]
On My Heart (A Series)… A Thankful Heart
It is Thanksgiving 2023. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There are no gifts to buy, and not really any decorating to do. Sure, some over achievers like to put up fall themed decorations, autumn colors, some pumpkins, a scare crow or a hay bale or two, but those items can usually be carried over from September. Thanksgiving is about counting[…]
My Heart (A Series)… Coming Into Focus Again.
When she penned “Breathe,” Becky Hemsley ended the poem with: And she found a small clearing surrounded by firs. And she stopped … and she heard what the trees said to her, And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave, For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe. “Breathe” is a poem about finding one’s self[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … My Scar.
I met my scar. It was an accidental viewing. I had avoided looking at it all this time. Saturday after being admitted to the hospital again (I was released Sunday), I had been allowed a shower and as I stepped out, there was the mirror. At first, I didn’t really realize what I was seeing. Then I sort of startled[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Steppin’ Out With My Baby…
Melanie Moore as Scout and Richard Thomas as Atticus photo by Julieta Cervantes As I have started to feel better and, subsequently get bored, I have been accompanying Charles to his daily (often twice or thrice daily) trips to the large orange and blue home improvement stores. He gets me a cart and plants me in the garden department while[…]
On My Heart (A Series)… Starting Recovery
It is my third full day home. It has been a good day. Nights are still hard. I still have nightmares. The dreams are vivid and violent and full of every awful thing. They are like a data dump of horror. I hope they go away soon. The pain medicine wears off like clockwork at 2:30 a.m., about a half[…]
On My Heart (A Series)… Post Surgery
Spoiler Alert! I survived my surgery. Eight days ago, I had what was supposed to be a double heart valve replacement surgery. The good news is that once the aortic valve was repaired, the mitral started behaving as it should in a last ditch effort to be compliant and save itself. It worked; my original mitral valve beats obediently inside[…]