Memorial Day

Sorry to you all who have been missing my blogs for a few weeks but I have been under the weather with a sinus, throat, chest etc. infection - as so many of you also were. Unfortunately, I was prescribed Levaquin and after two days, could not lift my arms for the pain in my muscles. This happened the last time I took this medication but I did not associate the two. It was weeks before my shoulders and arms were "back to normal." This time I realized that it was the Levaquin and called the doctor who put me on good old Z-pak. Now it is one more medication that I cannot take! Anyway, yesterday there was a big yahoo about Levaquin on the radio so I looked it up and sure enough it can cause tendonitis. http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/levaquin?ref=levaquin_overture&OVRAW=levaquin&OVKEY=levaquin&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=36524140011&OVKWID=254339421011

Apparently there is a lawsuit in the works according to the above link but it will inform you of the dangers of taking this antibiotic. I am in considerable pain while typing this so it will be short.

Of course, I have many pet peeves. This is my pet peeve of the week. Why do we say "Happy Memorial Day?" Do we say "Happy Good Friday?" or "Happy Yom Kipur?" This day, Memorial Day, is a day for reflection on those brave men and women who gave their lives so that we could continue to live in a free country. Today is a day for remembering and giving thanks to all those men and women who are still sacrificing to keep us safe and a day to honor all those men and women who have served and protected us throughout the years. So, I ask you today, while you are praying for me, to stop a moment and say a prayer for those who have gone to their eternal glory and for those who are fighting the good fight today. God bless them all and keep them safe.

That's all folks!

As always, love from me to you!

Rejoice and Be Glad

Just returned home from MSKCC with good news! My latest CAT scan shows the tumors in the lung are shrinking and getting so small, they are almost hard to see on the scan. The doctors are delighted and so are we! Jack got a copy of the radiology report and shared it with an acquaintance of his who is a retired Chief of Radiology and he read it over and said it was an EXCELLENT report! ...... Still unable to put in a new paragraph on this blog which is making me crazy but bear with me. ...... Thank you all for your prayers and support. Keep up the prayers. ...... Believe! Hope! As always, love from me to you!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you, women and men, who have been like mothers to me over the past few months (years) since the cancer was diagnosed. Your kindness, your consideration, your prayers and just knowing that you were only a phone call away on a "down" day, makes all the difference. I include my beautiful girls, Karen and Kate as well as sweet hearted Joe in this special thank you. Jack has been my champion, sitting at endless appointments, driving into the city, keeping me calm while I know he wasn't feeling as calm as he appeared. The Crones and those who are still in their prime whose phone calls and e-mails and lunches and dinners have picked me up, made me laugh and let me cry. There is nothing like feeling protected in the love of a mother - and you have all tenderly woven that blanket around me. I feel great at the moment, a little tired from the day's activities, but good tired. We went to 10:15 mass and I got to see all those beautiful people who are so supportive from church and ran into some neighbors I have not seen in many years. It was a joy to introduce Agnes Rose to them - they were quite taken that she was Karen's daughter. They sang one of my favorite hymns today but we were running a little late and I missed most of it - gee whiz, you'd think they'd wait for me to arrive before beginning the service! Agnes was not particularly impressed with the service today and kept Karen and Joe very busy. I just enjoyed watching Agnes behave the way Karen and Kate did at her age and know that I wasn't responsible for chasing after her! Children are children and l learned a long time ago from a wise priest that this is how children pray - doing what God intends them to do at their age. Sorry there are no paragraphs today but for some reason this blog won't let me put in any spaces. We went to see my mother today and it was a terribly sad experience that I won't dwell on except to ask your prayers that God soon shows her mercy and takes her to a more peaceful place. I can't let this day go without remarking that my father would have been 98 years old today. Tomorrow I get the results of Friday's CAT scan. I am hoping for good news - or at least stable news - but am anxious non the less. I must remember our mantra Believe! Hope! As always, love from me to you!

Mother of the Year

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=hxEvrOs4XH6A9aFq51rN9jY3MjczOTg-&referred_by=16090155-gBS8r8x

It's about time.

Believe! Hope!

As always, love from me to you!

Sunshine, Rainbows and Happiness

Look hard, Kate is hiding in our hearts!

Enough, already!

Sunshine makes me happy!

Try some mozzarella?

The Bride and Groom

Forty years seems like forty minutes when I really think about it! But what a forty minutes, indeed! These are some photos from a lovely dinner at the Oak Room which overlooks the Black Course at Bethpage State Park. This is where the PGA will be held in a few weeks and where Karen and Joe's wedding was held several years ago! The wedding trumps the PGA as far as I am concerned! It was a wonderful evening and made me realize how lucky Jack and I are. How many people make it through forty years of married life? I told a friend today that we were blessed - we had enough rain to appreciate the sunlight. And, for me, without the rain there wouldn't be the rainbows!

These photos are of some of our sunlight - the only missing beam is Kate who was down from Boston last weekend. She certainly was in our hearts and we missed having her with us last night. Hopefully, we will all be together for a late June family vacation.

I wish I were as clever as Joe, Kate and Karen and be able to put a video of Agnes on this posting but alas, I haven't figured that one out yet.

Wishing you all sunshine and rainbows.....and a little rain to make them glow!

Believe! Hope!

As always, love from me to you!

Tra-la, it's May!

Oh happy days, May has arrived - can summer be far behind? I am so happy to see the dogwood trees and the lilacs made it through the winter. They are in bloom and it makes me so happy to see them. Jack's tulips are also in full bloom. It's starting to look interesting around here. It will be awhile before we know if our annual battle over when to trim the hydrangeas was won or lost by Jack. This year, he trimmed them all the way down. I love those flowers in the summer and hope that they put on a show this year.

I realized this morning that I have a CAT scan scheduled for next Friday morning and an appointment to see Dr. Lung the Monday after. It's funny, I can manage to forget about what is growing inside me - or not growing, please God - for long periods of time and then I see the calendar and know that I am going to have a test that starts the worrying all over again. Frankly, lately I am too tired most of the time to worry about anything!

On Sunday, Jack and I will celebrate our 40 wedding anniversary. Hardly seems possible and as I look back, I wonder how those years passed so swiftly? I also wonder who that person is looking back at me from the mirror who seems so much older than I think I am!

So, I ask for your prayers again this week as I face the CAT scan on Friday morning. Won't have any results until Monday, though, so don't worry if you don't see any information until then. Meanwhile, remember our motto....

Believe! Hope!

As always, love from me to you!