The Week From You-Know-Where...

This week was long. Very long. The kind of long where you think the things that happened yesterday really took place a month ago. I won’t go in to all the details, but a quick recap would include an ice storm, no power, my grandfather hospitalized, the doctors telling us this is ‘the end’ for him, family making really tough decisions, lots of tears, my grandfather spending most of his days REALLY confused, big emotions, lots of stress, stress and more stress. And did I mention tears???

Then Friday happened.

At the end of a really tough 5 days, hope emerged.

My grandfather was lucid most of Thursday and then again on Friday.
Then his usual doctor returned from vacation, changing his medication and reassuring us that this was not, in fact, the end. AND there was no need to even place him in a nursing home.

Tears of joy were shed and relief rushed in—setting the stage for Saturday.

Saturday I woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground. It was the first I had seen of the fluffy white stuff in a year and I was thrilled! (Could have used more, but that came later.) Anyway, my mom and I then spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon baking a variety of cookies to share with family, friends and neighbors. Then later that evening, I built a fire and my parents and I watched “Surviving Christmas.”

At 9pm, I looked outside to see the snow falling hard and fast outside my windows again and I knew then that the warmth of the indoors could no longer contain me. I took the dog and we hit the snow! Frankly, I couldn’t tell you which one of us was happier.

So right now it’s Sunday evening as I type. I’m currently sitting in the Dallas/ Ft. Worth Airport. My flight to Denver has been delayed because of weather issues in the east and so we wait.

Today as we were landing I had the theme song to that old evening drama (read: soap opera) ‘Dallas’ in my head. Growing up, that show was a Friday night ritual with my mom. I’m not so sure she would have approved of my memory today though, as somewhere in between the ‘humm humm hummmmm’ part I got mixed up and realized I was then humming the theme to “Chariots of Fire.” NOT THE SAME THING. I know.

However…it made me laugh.

And so between my grandpa turning the corner back to good health, fresh snow fall, Christmas cookies, a warm fire, a flight to Colorado, the theme song of Dallas, and the hope of seeing some dear friends very soon…my spirits are beginning to lift once again. And I’m thinking, just thinking, that maybe this week will be better than the last.


PS-And speaking of flying, I was just wondering if I’m the only one who only drinks a ginger ale while she’s flying the friendly skies? Seriously. No other time do I think to myself, “Oh I wish I could drink a ginger ale right now!” But sit me on a plane and roll down the aisle with a little drink cart, and I’m all set to go!

Ginger Ale, Please.


Am I alone in this??