Thanksgiving marks 8 weeks, to the day, that I opened my eyes and had a variety of new parts in my heart and tubes sticking out everywhere.
My aneurysm is healed. I no longer live with a time bomb in my chest. So, what do I have to be thankful for you ask? How about life?
I am thankful that I am an American. I am proud of it. There are problems in this country, of course, but there will always be problems in every country because of the simple fact that countries are made up of human beings.
We spent our Thanksgiving with something else we are thankful for: Our grandson Adam. He is out visiting us. He is a joy, funny and interesting. Pleasant all of the time. He is a good person, insightful and compassionate.
This week he heard about a school where the principal made an announcement that several students had been killed that morning in a car crash. Later it was announced that it was not true--some folks in the school had decided that this was the best way to get students to not text while drive.
He talked with us about this, recognizing that it was wrong. He realizes the importance of kids being able to trust adults, and that this was a violation of that trust. We had an adult conversation.
And, of course, we have done fun things, like going swimming. We have a camera that we sometimes take hiking when it looks like there might be rain. It is waterproof.
We've had it for a few years, but yesterday decided to try it underwater---it is designed for that.
I couldn't go swimming because yesterday I cut myself. And because of the Warfarin it took longer than usual to heal. Gotta get off this stuff--interferes with my life too much.
Here is Adam and his 68-year-old grandmother trying to keep our noddle under water:
Can you believe this? 68 years old and out in a pool playing like she's a kid? Somebody needs to tell her she's too old to be to do this, but as a matter of fact, she isn't. She had a blast.
Then she made a terrific dinner for us. Here she is with the upside down Turkey. There is a reason why it is upside down, she explained it to me, but I forgot. I don't really need to know because she cooks the Turkey, not me, and my job is more in line with my skills--I take out the trash after dinner. And repeatedly say "Yum!"
She is wearing my grandmother's apron, a prized possession:
As I have been telling anyone who can't get away from me fast enough: If you have a lifestyle issue that could one day result in open heart surgery, CHANGE it. You DO NOT WANT open heart surgery. It is brutal.
For me, if it wasn't for a handful of people in my life (and you know who you are) like Adam I simply would not have done it. Having them to look forward to, and being able to contribute to their lives is the only thing that makes this brutal journey worth it.
We are glad to have Adam here. Always glad to have any of the grandchildren, of course (and our children, siblings, nieces/nephews, and in-laws--in other words our family). But this year it is especially meaningful--he sort of represents all of that family that makes this a terrific Thanksgiving.
(He brought a game with him, Madden NFL-something. He beat me 105-28, and we only stopped because he thought we should have a mercy rule. Told you he is a nice boy. Tomorrow's another day: I am going to challenge him to a rematch)
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