I ushered in the New Year by celebrating my husband, Larry's brand new "hip hip hurray!" second hip replacement surgery on New Year's Eve into New Years Day.
Time for another medical marvel by the same surgeon only in a different place.
But to spend New Year's Eve in a hospital is a whole different way to celebrate a Rockin' Rollin' New Years Eve. Especially when the rocking involves a surgical jack hammer and the rolling is done with the aid of a walker!
The only sparkly and bubbly he could hope for were the sparkly post Christmas lights outside that greeted us at the hospital. But they were absolutely lovely as we checked him in and saw the beauty of reflected views in the the absolute darkness of earliest morning.
Oh the challenges and how they always seem to come at the same time! Light, love, and prayers filled my heart, my awareness of potential outcomes as 5 members of my family were in 3 cities of hospitals in just the last 4.5 weeks.
My beautiful daughter walked through the fire of HER+++ breast cancer chemo for months and months and months and now her cancer surgery.
Chemo since August continues into 2020 and perhaps beyond. Strongest stuff they have almost destroys you but cannot cure you with this variation. Daily radiation for 6 weeks. If one thing doesn't work you just try, try again.
It takes you, breaks you and through it all unimaginable numbers of women warriors are honed by brimstone and fire. Inside and out. God bless the cancer survivors walking through chemo and radiation and many surgeries fighting to live another day.
As most of you have learned our lives are often filled with one challenge after another. Some easy with great outcomes we call miracles. Some so challenging we just pray for strength-- if not for ourselves, then for others. It is a heart breaking disease that knocks its victims to the ground then stomps them when they're down.
The easiest surgery was the "little boy" surgery of my beautiful and challenging cat, Jasper, we took in to our hearts and home last year. A fluffy bundle of wild and ever roaming spirits. This boy has been both a joy and a challenge!
Jasper is the seemingly generational progeny of my beloved Tao who also was taken in for his neutering three years ago. Devastatingly we were mistakenly informed of some "non-facts" by his vet that resulted in our leaving what we thought would be simple neutering with his euthanized body instead of our greatly loved boy.
I sobbed for weeks and weeks and even three years later still miss that beautiful boy terribly. But to have our Jasper has helped so much and most certainly distracted us from bigger problems our family (especially our immediate family) has undergone and still faces much more in 2020 and beyond..
Jasper sailed through his neutering process even though the hideous "cone of shame" triggered massive hysteria and the demolishing of all window displays in the bedroom throughout his very challenging night.
From overly perhaps decorated windowsills with special items and an abundance of rock show rocks (from tiny to hefty if they landed on a cat) in my own special arrangements into cascading chao with big ka-bangs!
Luckily my large Thanksgiving cactus was still on its lacy hidden old wicker clothes hamper table. But it took me until tonight to discover my Chinese Feng-shui compass. It had been made into the bed. So much for Feng-shui 😂
And yes, the cone was finally removed as he was held purring the entire time of my untying his far too tight gauze cincher and the hated plastic e-[E-lizabethan collar) cone.
As I go through challenges large and small-- and Jaspers surgery was very small--i am reminded of the innumerable challenges throughout my and all of our my lives.
The countless losses, and all that I have learned and spiritually grown from along the way. Even my life long inability to maintain sleep has had some purpose in the grand view of things.
All prepared me for greater hardships and higher challenges and greater loss of sleep. I can (seemingly at least) now meet with many challenges at once. And while I may fuss or even cry at how unfair things often seem, we all have them and are all called upon to bare them.
There have been no celebratory ringing of bells in 1919 but there have been a multitude of grateful blessings for even the smallest things instead that are already apparent in 2020.
For every single day of life is a treasure. Every experience we have and every understanding we gain in spiritual awareness lifts us up into embodying mind, body, and spirit here on this earthly plane in ever growing and appreciating abundance.
But yes, the past 4 weeks have been incredibly busy, emotionally invested in family.
And unfortunately a big, big mess with our once charming, neighborhood pigs!
Oh my the pig tales I have shared over these years on this blog!
Green Acres
Chickens and Pigtails
When Pigs Fly
Here You Come Again
Snippets and Threadtales:
Joys and Tribulations
Apparently and unbeknownst to us, not being fed (at all) since the death of their owner in late November, mama pig desperate for food for herself and 2 remaining babies absolutely destroyed our lawn. Since we have lawns that are cared for waking up to this was pretty upsetting!
But what really upset us was that no one seemed to care about the horrific living conditions and lack of food that the four original pigs were living in for the last few years!
So of course they desperately escaped over and over to forage for food. And foraging means digging for grubs, roots, bulbs...anything edible within the ground.
We called one social service agency after another. We called the County Animal Control, the Sheriff's Dept. many many times and on and on.
With no offers of help only excuses, we finally walked down our very long lane (my husband with his post surgery walker) and up to the door of the current members of the family occupants and explained once again the extent of the most recent damage and their need to buy pig food and feed their starving (and therefore secondarily now destructive) pigs.
Green Acres Farm Sanctuary - Home
We also offered to find them a home and got permission to call a rescue organization for mistreated farm animals.
They assessed the horrible conditions these pigs were living in a tiny space under a junk truck to sleep under with broken down vehicles seemingly brought in on an almost daily basis but never repaired or gotten rid of or sold
Living without grass under a truck
With only occasional scraps (if any) food. Ugh! Close up below.
Thank you Green Acres Animal Sanctuary in Silverton erton for making space and taking in these otherwise loving and gentle animals who just needed loving, caring, responsible owners.
They now have their forever home with loves and belly rubs and daily food and water!
And his spotted baby was taken by someone before Green Acres made it back with a truck and trailer so we're hoping he got a good home too.
Hard times can last a long time as can pain and suffering. But some things end well thank goodness.
New Year, new Hopes, new prayers, a new hip for hubby and a beautiful and wondrous new grandbaby as of a week ago for our family!
Sometimes we don't get all of the miracles we pray for but oh there are still so many blessings to be grateful for!
2nd year of battling HER+++ Stage 3
2 comments:
Happy New Year Michele to you and yours! May this new year bring improved health to your loved ones. May you all enjoy prosperity and fun filled times together. Continue to celebrate life's gifts as you do- your zest and positive energy permeate the pages of your blog. Love and warmest wishes for a wonderful 2020.
Always, A
Thanking you as always with a full heart Anna 💜
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