The Silver Lining

Dear Younger Anita, Thank you. I've come to appreciate you more in the past few days.  There are a few little signs you left that I've recently stumbled upon that made me smile, and made my "new normal" just a bit easier. It's only been a few short months -- April to almost October, about 6 months -- but so much is different than when you were here.  I am beginning to find my way back to a few things you used to do. One of them is sewing. I wanted to try to make some Angel Gowns.  Younger Anita, you would spend an afternoon cutting out gowns, then a full day machine stitching and pressing, then a couple of evenings with the hand work -- turning out maybe a dozen or more gowns of different sizes. I dreaded trying to cut out the gowns, to be honest.  Cutting them out is the only part I sort of dislike; for some reason it makes my back hurt -- it bothered YOU, Younger Anita, I know.  I figured now it would take me most of a day, if not two days. But...

David has a Bucket List, and one of the things he has always wanted to do was see Queen in concert.   He saw that they were playing in Las Vegas the month of September.   Because of the immuno-suppressant medications I am taking for Myasthenia Gravis, I am unable to travel or be in crowds, so I suggested he contact a friend or two to see about going.   The first friend was unavailable.   The second friend said, “Gee, you should talk to my brother – he’s on his way out there RIGHT NOW, and he has an extra ticket.”   That was all it took – of course Brother Tom told him to “Come on!”   So by 7:00 the next morning, he had a flight booked!   He threw stuff in a bag, hollered “SEE YA!” and ran out of here like his pants were on fire!   So…. THAT meant…. GIRLS WEEKEND for Aliza and me! I have not driven my car since mid-May because my vision has been so unstable.   However, the past couple of weeks have been fairly steady, with none o...

Mid-June to June 25, 2018 Do you remember your first time riding a roller coaster?   You’re seated in the car, all locked in and it begins to move slowly at first.   There are a few twists and turns, some jerks and rolls, and it begins to speed up as it goes through the first turns and twist.   But eventually, it’s going to start climbing up a hill, and you KNOW that after you crest the top of that hill there is a heart-stopping, death-defying drop that is nearly straight down.     You enjoy the first part of the ride, even the scary jerky parts, but know that eventually, you’re going to make that dive.   As the car begins the gradual ascent up that hill, you become more and more apprehensive of What Is To Come .   When the car gets to the very top, it stops, very briefly, and you might hear or feel a little *click* -- just before the car dives into the abyss, free-falling, fast and uncontrollable.   My story so far is like th...