Along the path...

So glad that God rested when He created the world. He set the example of resting from your work. Glad we have the opportunity to rest as well as to wrest. Both do my soul good. For me to keep track of, today is the first day I applied Vitamin E oil around my sutures.  Also, Happy Halloween!

Aunt Ella passed away on the 18th. Her celebration of life is today. She's been struggling the last bit, since she fell at the end of August. Now, she has been released from pain and has been able to reunite with friends and family who preceded her in death. We have lost her light among us; it continues on in a different sphere. And, we have memories to hold on to in the meantime. "An Affair to Remember" sums it up well with Terry McKay's observation: Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories...  Grateful to have known and loved her and to have warm memories to share. 

Once there was a gal who was a literary magazine editor in college. Fun times! Playing with words and providing feedback about ways to help convey an author's intent was thrilling and challenging at the same time.  My dad recently found one of the magazines I edited. The snapshot above is of a piece in that magazine that touched me deeply. I've thought of it often over the years.  As we are preparing for my Aunt's funeral tomorrow. I thought it might be an appropriate piece to share. Each of us has unknown chapters in our lives. Whether they are talents from years gone by or in years to come or experiences or personality facetes that only few people know about. To Robyn Hansen, wherever you are, thank you for "Uncovered Memories."

Selfie photo shoot!!! Before surgery, I took some pictures of my abdomen while I was wearing a specific shirt, so I could do a comparison. I still feel bloated and gassy and crampy and itchy and gross, but I took another photo shoot in the same shirt for comparison tonight. 4 weeks post-op today. If I remember correctly, I got back to my room after surgery at just before 11 pm. I kind of think a basketball sized mass would have made more of a visual difference. Healing takes time. And patience. And more time I am told. To everyone out there healing in your own way, on you own timeline, from whatever you need to heal from, hugs. Hang in there. Give it some time and patience. Before After

It's crazy to me to think it has been four weeks since Einstein was removed.  When I met with Dr. Hunn last Friday, it sounded like she hadn't taken any pictures of my mass. She was going to ask her nurse to look. I haven't heard anything yet. So, I probably will never know what it looked like. Hard, rock like, not much fluid. I want to be able to pick up and do everything I did before. Right now. It's hard to be patient. She signed off on my going back to work on Monday. I am going to miss listening to my body and napping when I need to.

Not my favorite combination. Dang it!

Yesterday was RDM's wind ensemble concert. They did such a great job!  Their October concert has all kinds of characters playing instruments: pirates, pig kings, the dred pirate roberts, princesses, Newt Scamander, etc. It's fun to see the kids' creativity. RDM was Newt.