In August, my husband was diagnosed with a kidney tumor. Since many of these turn out to be cancerous, we had to prepare for the worst while praying to God and trusting Him for all that would follow. After undergoing a difficult surgery, the tumor turned out to be benign. There were complications in the hospital with his pain management and ultimately he ended up in the cardiac care area. Deep breath. After several days of hospitalization, he came home and recovered very well. We had a birthday party for him (his first in our 40 years of marriage as he typically doesn’t like that sort of thing; a near-death experience gives you a lot more to celebrate!) and life moved forward.
Then, on November 12, he went out to get our mail at 11:15 on a typical sunny day. A young man driving up our street says he never saw him and hit him going the regular speed on our block, knocking him well over 15 feet and into the middle of our yard. It was horrific. He suffered serious head and oral trauma, as well as multiple abrasions and contusions. Again, God sheltered his life and after extensive surgery and several days in ICU, he came home again to recover.
We are so happy to say that his recovery is going well. A brain injury (concussion) is no small thing, and he lost several teeth (broken out of his jawbone). He had many painful wounds that had to be dressed daily. It was a very difficult time. Thank God that I work in an amazing place that allowed me to work from home for several weeks. As we passed his second month of recovery a few days ago, we are amazed at how God has surrounded him (and me) with the kindness of the people from our church, our sweet friends, and precious family. We could not have gotten through these past few months without their love and care.
All that to say we had not planned to end 2016 with the above events. We were expecting and planning for Curt to attend art shows, and I was going to continue building up my soap business and blog. But life took a different turn – and here we are. Alive, thankful, grateful to God, and again making plans. Life can be very complicated – but very good. Wishing you a wonderful, healthy, and joyous New Year!
Sherry, I’ve got to admit once started I had to read all your posts. They are not only well written but so informative. Having purchased your soaps for gifts I can say they’ve been enthusiastically used and appreciated by the recipients. The home you grew up in, those circumstances and opportunities all along the way have placed you where you are today. Wow! What a journey. Your heart, creativity, passions, and talents are a blessing to everyone you come in contact with. You Go Girl!!!!!
Deb – thank you! I’m so glad you are enjoying the soaps and that you took the time to read all my posts! Now that I’m “semi-retired” from a “regular” job, I’m hoping I can devote a lot more time to writing, soaping, and many other pursuits that have been calling to me. I appreciate you so much! Hugs!