Stuff's Happening

It has been an awful weekend.

First, mom had her lung biopsy on Friday. When I had not heard anything from her by early evening, I tried calling her. Finally, I reached my dad who announced she was in the hospital because of her lung collapsing. I started talking to him and he was very disoriented....almost childlike.

This is my dad we're talking about....and he couldn't tell me where mom was....her room number or telephone number. He could not find the piece of paper with that critical information.

I remained calm. After I hung up, I began calling folks that I knew. A lot of them were not home. Finally I caught up with myt cousin who lives about a half-hour east of my parents. She said that she would zip to the hospital on Saturday morning first thing. Then I called my daughter in Nashville...and she said she would drive up there. BLESS HER!

i was booked solid for this weekend with a long scheduled photo shoot. I couldn't go anywhere. I made it through those responsibilities in a daze....and then I had to work today at the office. I plan to leave for WV on Wednesday morning--EARLY.

On top of all this....mom and dad's beloved dog had to be put down today. He was suffering from cancer.

Right now it seems like everything and everyone in my life is battling this horrid disease.

I feel like the walls of my life are closing in on me.

Spring Is Finally Here

It has been a very long and cold winter. I thought I was going to die during all those back-to-back snowstorms. I am just glad it is all over.

I am determined to enjoy the longer day light hours and the warmer temperatures.

And you know something? I want to have a lot of fun and enjoyment this summer. No drama. No sadness. No worry.

Mother is doing fine. She is still in remission...and is determined to work on her strength and stamina by walking more and more with her new hip.... I am amazed by her steady recovery from the massive stroke at Christmas. She is virtually healed...and is doing GREAT! I am so thankful.

Dad has his final chemo treatment this week. It appears that he will now be in remission. So all we have to do with him is to have his weight to pick back up...and get his stamina going as well.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

You may be wondering how I'm doing.

I think I am doing pretty well. I can hardly believe that it has been nearly five years since Lovey dropped the bomb that changed my life. We are at the three year mark almost since the divorce was final.

These years since have been times of great discovery for me. I learned to rely on me...solely. I've worked at getting to know me better. I've also worked at being a better dad....and a better person in general.

Those of you who read me faithfully will remember that there was a time when I felt that I had no friends. In essence this is the case. I woke up one morning and realized I had been stripped of all the marital friendships I had......I lost all the church friends I had when Lovey outted me as the "husband from hell"... So I had to just reach out all over again and learn to make new friends.

God has blessed these efforts. I mean, I have heard from a number of you through this blog. Personally I have expanded my network of frendships....such that I have just approved my 424th friend on my FACEBOOK page.

Life is just good...

A Brand New Year ~ Blah!

Greetings to all of you. This is perhaps the longest I have gone without writing something. For this I apologize. But much has happened, so let me take a few moments to update all of you.

First, the day before Thanksgiving, my dad received word that he has lung cancer. So this started a battery of treatments and he has been doing very well in his chemo treatments. I was in WV with my parents for Thanksgiving and with my daughters. It was probably the bluest Thanksgiving I have had because of the uncertainty of dad's diagnosis. Nevertheless, we seemed to survive.

As Christmas approached, I decided to have a very lowkey Christmas...and not do anything -- just stay home....count my blessings and plan to go back to WV after the beginning the year to help with dad's treatments. Coupled with all this, the weather was dangerous around Christmas with icestorms forecasted for the Shenandoah Valley and I-81 corridor on Christmas Day.

Well, to add more drama to my life, I received a telephone call from my daughter who had chosen to spend Christmas with my parents. She said that my mother was acting "funny"...and when I head more, I thought she was either having a manifestation of cancer in the brain or having a stroke. My daughter was able to get mom to the hospital in time. The diagnosis was a massive stroke. Thankfully, she got the help she needed and was home within three days with minimal longterm damage.

I went to WV last week to spend time with my parents and to help them get to their medical appointments, but last Thursday, mom was sent back to the hospital because of a high white blood cell count and the fact that she had an unknown mass in her lower abdomen. They were very afraid of cancer. (They said she has two new spots on her lung...but we will deal with this after her current hospitalization.)

So, as of this writing, mom is still in the hospital. I'm still in WV...and my daughter that lives with me is here also. It has been very frightening for me, an only child.

And my life continues....