I'm still around

Well, it's no wonder I don't have many followers, given that I barely post anything.  It's been an amazing, challenging, and growth filled summer.

In July, I was elevated to the 3rd degree in my tradition.  It was such an honor, and such a beautiful ritual.  There is so much I still want and need to learn, but I know I want to become clergy, and I want to be a spiritual counselor for people making the transition from life, and for their families.  Once I achieve my ordination, I want to let the local hospital and nursing homes know that I am available if anyone is looking for pagan clergy.  I feel that the highest honor is to help people into and out of "the mortal coil".  I feel that there are many who help people in, but there really aren't many that are willing or able to help at the end of life.  I eagerly anticipate seeing where my path leads.

In August I had a total knee replacement on my left knee.  It's almost been 2 months since surgery and it has made such a huge difference.  My back is even feeling marginally better.  I have healed very fast, at my three week post surgical appointment, my doctor said I was about where he would expect a patient to be at about 3 months.  I attribute my fast healing to reiki.  I have used it on myself and many members of my coven family have been sending it as well.  For me, the surgery was a complete success.  I was in the hospital until Friday afternoon and when I got to rehab, which happened to be the same facility that my father is currently in, I told the therapists that I expected to walk out by the next Friday using my cane.  They said that was a difficult goal, that if I was able to go home on Friday it would most likely be with a walker.  I ended up going home on Thursday with my cane.  Another successful incident for the power of being positive.

My father is having a lot of problems with healing.  He's developed MRSA in the wound again.  They've done surgery to repair some adhesions, but he is healing slowly.  I am beginning to wonder if he will be able to come home.  He's being better about getting out of his room, he's been using the exercise machines in the therapy room, and he's down to about 190 lbs.  He weighs less now than he did when he met my mother.  But, as long as that lesion doesn't heal, he's not able to get back up on his prosthetic.

Ali and Axel are doing so well.  She is an amazing mother, even though she falls short of her own expectations.  Axel is still the love of my life.  He is such a beautiful boy.  His go to word is "Hey".  He says it all the time and we joke that he must be Canadian.  He has 8 teeth now, still is amazingly happy, and I can't get enough of him.  Ali and her boyfriend have their own apartment and are doing well.  I continue to be so proud of her, Watching her overcome the obstacles in her life and rise above everything has been very inspiring to me.

Well I guess this is enough rambling for now.  I really will try to get back soon. Comments are welcome, I'd love to hear from you.

Time flies

Soooo much has happened since last October.  I have a new love in my life, he's the most incredible male I've every met.  Every thing he does makes my heart swell with love.  He is my great grandson.  I feel so very honored to have this little one in my life.  He is almost 4 1/2 months old now.  He has an incredible smile, he is always jabbering away, he even talks in his sleep.  My granddaughter is an amazing mother.  She worried at times that she would be like her own mother, unable to be the parent this little boy needs.  She is a single parent, since her husband decided he didn't want to be married about 2 weeks before my little love was born.  She has been amazingly strong and has met every challenge with aplomb.  I am so very proud of her.

My physical issues continue, though.  My left knee has become incredibly painful.  When I went to the ortho, the xrays showed that the cartilage is completely gone, it is bone on bone.  At least I can move around enough to take care of the baby when my grand daughter is at work or appointments.  What is being neglected is housework.  Since I can't get down on the floor anymore, the clutter is accumulating.  This, too, will pass, somehow.

My father is back in the nursing home.  He developed a lesion on the stump that became infected.  He will be there until it heals and he can get back up on the prosthesis again.  Nursing home/rehab centers aren't really set up to promote healing.  The doctor took him off his short acting insulin, which he has been on for more than 30 years, and upped the long acting insulin, which has never been sufficient.  It set healing back about 6 weeks because his blood glucose was staying in the high 200s peaking at around 390.  Once we got them to start the short acting back up, he's staying between 100 to 160 consistently and the wound has finally started healing again.

My grand daughter's mother decided to move back into our little town.  She is not using crack right now, but is still smoking pot and demanding that others help her whenever she needs help.  She is a force of nature.  I have told her over and over that she needs to grow up and take care of things herself, start behaving like an adult, she is almost 37 now, but she doesn't understand and will not go to therapy or rehab.  My husband jumps when she calls, but I won't.  I told her from the beginning that I had too much on my plate to add more simply because she moved here

Well, this has gone in a different trajectory than I expected when I started.  I will have to make it a point to get back here soon and post more of the positive things that are happening.  There are a lot of good things in my life, and I am content overall.