Dear Reader:

Since I spent Saturday and Sunday mainly by myself( not wanting to risk giving anyone else the flu) it gave me lots of time to recognize the far-sighted gift of God that He shares with us.

I awoke to a beautiful day but then I received an unexpected upsetting text from Lee. Ben woke up Sunday morning and didn’t recognize any of the help staff who serves him everyday… he was confused and anxious.

The medical team was called in and quickly recognized he must have had another brain stroke or hemorrhage.

The ambulance was on its way to MUSC when they contacted Lee who left immediately and then contacted me… we were both very emotionally upset. The staff wanted to know when was the last time Ben was lucid… I told Lee from 9-10 when he called me out of the blue the night before.

I usually just listen when Ben calls because he is bored and lonely, especially now with no way to walk off any energy. It was the best conversation we had in a long time… remembering our parents and for Ben especially his daddy. At six years of age, daddy was the center of his universe and he still relives the moment he was told his daddy was gone…he ran out the back door, holding his ears screaming , yelling ” No he isn’t… he wouldn’t leave me.”

He hid out until darkness descended while the whole family and neighbors were called out to form a search party. He was hiding under a bale of hay in the back corner of the barn. Sound asleep.

Ben has never since stopped looking for his daddy and Saturday night I listened to his memories of him. Sadly David and I were too young to remember him as Ben did. Our memories are locked in old photos….

I ended the conversation telling Ben that we came from pioneer stock and both of us being stuck inside for a few days or weeks wasn’t the end of the world… in the big picture just a temporary set-back. We agreed, wished each other a good night and we loved each other.

So imagine my shock hearing he had another brain hemorrhage less than two weeks after the last one! I prayed fervently to God that nothing else happen and not on the 24th… I could never look at my birth date again the same way. My sunny birthday ( in my mind) grew dark and cloudy. I was so worried about Ben and yet so thankful for that conversation the night before.

My only company was Tommy and the ” three amigos” ( Pip, Atticus, and George) but what a great distraction! Tommy was actually bringing me a new thermometer-mine’s battery died. ( He said CVS’s thermometers that you stuck in your mouth were gone and even the other ones… were limited… got one for forehead.)

I had two sub-temperature readings which is my natural and normal reading ( and I took no medicine Saturday night before going to bed. ) I think I hear ” Miss Flu” packing her bags… am calling her an Uber to carry her far far away… my treat!

I should be getting my new cancer medicine Fed-Exed to me in the next couple of days… Hallelujah! Things are starting to turn around!!!

And how good is God… my Saturday night celebration ( if I had not gotten the flu) would have been a complete… disaster… my whole family is crazy in love with their Clemson Tigers. Disappointment, frustration and heartache are not good eating companions. Tommy told me Kaitlyn tested positive on a coronavirus test when she woke up sick yesterday so unknowingly this could have presented a problem … it was not in the stars this year to celebrate but instead commemorate life… beautiful in good times and not so good!

But Jake had a wonderful birthday weekend -he went to a fishing tournament Saturday morning and caught 13 fish… best ever! Then yesterday friends from school, neighborhood and cousins went with him to a fun park where they could putt putt and drive their favorite-go-carts!

After everything came crashing down for Lee too with the call about his dad from Wellmore he hurried over there and then had to rush back to help with the family birthday party and ( lots of friends) for his precious son Rhodes.

Lee texted to update me last evening that Ben is going to undergo a MRI this morning and he will update me with the results and recommendations. I would truly appreciate prayers for him.

Lee ended with this picture last evening- he said he has never been so completely exhausted as he was right then … had to laugh when I got his last correspondence….

So until tomorrow…

This year I had time be thankful for everyone in my life who has added so much joy to it… including all of you! Thank you Gin-g for the banana pudding milkshake and KC for the vegetable soup drop-off yesterday.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh