As 2013 Draws to a Close...

Dear Fellow Friends, Readers, Writers, all...

     My last post was over 6 months ago.  I am sorry.  I love writing my posts but life sometimes gets in the way of the best laid plains.

     April/May I found myself sticking to my resolve to get back some core strength and set myself a course of pilates.  I love pilates and yoga as I can sit on the floor and strengthen and elongate rather than bulk up.  However, a dear friend and neighbour came to visit and we watched in awe as her little 18-month-old Down's Syndrome child displayed his new skill of climbing onto my sofa.  Not so wonderful when he almost "face planted" as he tried to climb back down.  I scooped him mid-fall and felt a slight pop in my shoulder. Believing it was nothing and would just "go away," I continued my exercises, which rapidly devolved into efforts at endurance through the intense pain.  My Welsh doctor sent me home to discover what was wrong.  I had a right, full thickness rotator cuff tear!  My first response was relief, followed by "But I don't have time to do the surgery now, I'm nearly half-way through a degree and have commitments."

I left for Frankfurt, Germany, in August to witness the marriage of a dear friend, privileged to be her surrogate mom for a day, helped get the latest edition of American Athenaeum published, and aligned all the minutiae that forms my life at Aberystwyth University, including completion of the first draft of my historic/fiction/fantasy novel, "Standing Stone."  Life was good but for the daily pain of actually attempting use of my right arm.

Open air Market

November saw me recrossing the Atlantic toward home for the surgery that would return proper function of my arm.  Fortunately, I was six months ahead in my PhD work as November became pretty much of a wash.  I learned total dependance, acceptance that my husband can and will step up to the plate as I directed the how while he cooked our dinners (Brilliant), and his total long-suffering over my complaint, "It's been three weeks post-surgical, how come I can't use my arm yet?"  It's a 3 month process to regain use and a year to fully recover.  Sigh.  But all's well, each challenge has a purpose, and perseverance pays off.

Three and a half weeks post surgical, I can once again type and write then use ice packs to calm the overtaxed and already atrophied muscles. (Please insert Hallelujah Chorus - Handel would approve I'm sure!)

Aberystwyh Meat Market

 But during this 7-month odyssey, I've come to understand just how small the world really is. Yes, beside a 13 hour flight, there are the little connections that soon add up to another 8-10 hours, but wherever I go I find people who are interesting and interested, people who have "life" stories, people that want to help and who respond to a smile and a "Would you please help me?"  People are good at heart and need only be asked to jump into action and bless the lives of others around them. This was true on the plane, in Aberystwyth, and in Astoria and Portland, Oregon, where doors were opened as people shopped or hurried to complete their pre-Christmas tasks.  A smile always accompanied their deeds of kindness.

Yes, it's good to be alive, to see the world, to be safe at home, to watch the snow, to snuggle with your spouse under mounds of quilts and blankets, to hold a conversation with a precocious 19 month old, who speaks 'chipmunk' but does it so convincingly that one wants to answer their ernest, albeit unintelligible, questions and to hold up one's end of the conversation.  I'm on the mend and grateful for the technology that made this possible. Family is precious and time truly stops for no man or woman.

Aberystwyth, Wales, Sunset

May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season and make memories that will last forever and keep you safe and warm during life's little and big challenges.