Tempus Fugits...
...whether we're having fun or not, and what a difference a year makes ! So much has happened in the past year of sobriety, I just thought I'd do a little re-cap.
Last year on this day, I was planning Thanksgiving Dinner, and we were exchanging ideas here at SR on how we were all going to spend the day. That was in the morning of November 15th. By the afternoon, I had taken a fall, and had to be rescued by some good-looking Irish firemen. Although the fall wasn't serious, and I wasn't really hurt, the fact that I was alone when it happened frightened me enough to convince me it was time to make some drastic changes. This would require detaching from my beloved heroin-addict son who had been living with me for the past 10 years and doing "his best" to take care of me.
Son and I spent our last Thanksgiving and Christmas in our four-room apartment surrounded by all the "stuff" I had accummulated over the past 50 years. On Christmas afternoon, Paula (better known as MyThreeSons) paid me a surprise visit in the true Spirit of Christmas. She knew we hadn't done our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner, so she came carrying a shopping bag full of leftovers from their own family gathering the night before.
Although it broke my heart to have to give him the ultimatum of making other living arrangements, I do believe Son knew that it was necessary for both our sakes. My biggest concern was what I would do with our 10 year-old Springer Spaniel. Lo and behold, during a phone conversation with Paula's husband, Frank, he assured me they were more than willing to take our Jenny to their home in North Jersey.
By the middle of January, plans were in the works for me to be admitted to the hospital and transferred from there to a nursing home in South Jersey near my Sister, Mom, Niece and her family. January 16th to hospital, January 23rd to nursing home. Son had two weeks to dispose of four rooms of "stuff" and check into a rehab...all of which he accomplished with help of friends and family.
It took a bit of adjusting, but having the pc hooked up by February 19th helped a lot, and I've been visiting SR daily ever since. Knowing my Son has nine months of clean and sober time at Lyons VA hospital has helped my mental state tremendously, too. Late in August, Paula made the trip down with her three adorable boys and our "puppy" which they had registered as Jenny Rae (in my honor).
Although I don't think I'll ever be able to call this place "home", it's not all that bad (if you have to be in one), and I've been able to enjoy the beautiful courtyard and gardens during the summer. It's nice to be "outside" once in a while...something I hadn't been able to do for the past three years. Two showers a week are an added pleasure, too, since getting in and out of an old-fashioned tub was out of the question.
I celebrated my 76th Birthday last month, and all of my family came down and made a big fuss. Personally, I would have preferred to cancel this year, but they surprised me...whattaya gonna do!?!
So, things have been pretty uneventful until four weeks ago...when I got hit by the infamous Flying Shower Head, and suffered a serious injury to my left leg. One thing led to another and, after blood clots and infection set in, I required surgery on November 5th. The healing process is moving along, and less painful now, thank goodness. As bad as it was, I was lucky to find a good surgeon.
I'm not really looking forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas "festivities" this year, since I won't be with my family members. But, then, most of the folks here won't be either. Just something I'll have to get used to. I'll make the best of it, and repeat the Serenity Prayer often. As my daughter often says, "It us what it is." How true.
Anyway...thanks for letting me share...at least it wasn't a vent...just some thoughts on how life changes from year to year...good, bad, or somewhere in-between...time does seem to fly.