A mothers touch

I’m not usually much on making “New Years Resolutions”  or being happy a year is over… but WOW.. I AM GLAD 2011 is OVER !!! 2011 was like living a daily emotional roller coaster. We started 2011 with mom in ICU  ( she went into hospital Aug. 10, 2010 and was never able to come home).    I left for a “Girls Trip Cruise” on March 12, and on March 13 Sonny’s oldest sister Teresa was in a head-on collision, killing the guy that hit them and left Teresa fighting for her life for many months. We almost lost mom that very same night.  All this happens as I am out in the middle of the ocean somewhere… talk about a helpless feeling.   Mom fought hard but lost her battle with COPD March 25, 2011. I thought I was finished with “hospitals” for a while but 4 weeks later on Easter Sunday Sonny had a heart attack.  We wound up in Oklahoma Heart Hospital in OKC.  He had 100% blockage of the “widow maker” and had a stent put in.  He had some complications with bleeding but we were finally able to leave to hospital on Tuesday afternoon.  We decided to stay in a hotel in OKC for the night because there were severe storms expected in SE Oklahoma. We stayed about 2 hours in the hotel and had to go back to hospital.  The next morning they went back in and scraped another artery.  We were finally headed home on Friday morning.  WHEW what a week.  July 15th we were back at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital because Sonny’s heart rate was about 30 when he was up and about.  ( should be about 60)  He had a pacemaker put in that afternoon.  Then on Veteran’s Day we were once again back at the hospital and they put yet ANOTHER STENT in.   Teresa was able to come home in June and was able to begin trying to walk in November.  As we celebrated the holidays I missed MOM so much but had to remind myself she was so very happy and that I would never want her to have to live hooked to a machine like she had to live for the last 7  1/2 months of her life.  I also thought many times during the holidays how very blessed we were to be able to celebrate another holiday season with both Sonny and Teresa.  2011 will definitely be one of those years that will be remembered not only for the hard times but for the tremendous blessings.