Saying Good Bye to 2017. . .

  I am delighted that 2017 is hours away from no longer existing. I honestly think it has been the worst year of my life. However, as bad as 2017 was at times, we made it. The journey was not pretty or easy by any means. Tommy went through hell and so did our family.  Tommy is alive and is doing well. We have a three month check up in January. The 3rd,4th and, 5th are the days the VA checks Tommy out from top to bottom to see if he is still cancer free and everything else is working as it should. We are believing the results will be good news. He still has pain from the shingles in his left arm but Lyrica is doing wonders for the PHP. There are a couple other things that need to be healed but in the long run, he is fine.
   The girls and I can actually sleep and breath almost like normal people. There was a time when I thought this would never happen again. I am so glad I was wrong.
    Not everything that happened in 2017 was bad. We had many blessings come our way. Tami moved to Troy and purchased a new home. She fell in love with Jake Gordy. His family has doubled our pleasure. The holidays were so nice with all the young people, his brother, and his Mom. We needed all that laughter. 
    Melodi, Lacey, and Rowan visited us in April. Most of our family members were born in April so they came in to celebrate. We all took Rowan to the zoo. I think it was my favorite day of the summer.  There were six adults and two children, Logan and Rowan. The laughs were bouncing off the bricks as we rambled around the zoo. It was a wonderful day trip.
    When Tommy got sick, Lisa and Lisle came in to help out. Lisle had to go back to Florida but Lisa stayed with us for weeks while Tami moved into her new home. Tami had been staying with us off and on for days at a time. It was a cluster smuck in every sense of the word. Everything that happened to Tommy was unexpected, coming somewhere out of left field. For several months we did not know if he would live or not. Live he did!!
     Tommy and I missed our families back home. We had a break in doctor appointments and took off for home in Kentucky and Tennessee for five days. It was a brother and sister kind of visit. The trip was filled with laughter, good food, and several trips to Reelfoot Lake. Tommy and I really needed to spend time with his brothers and sisters. We had a wonderful time, remembering old memories and making new memories. It did us a world of good to get away for awhile.
    Today is Dec.30th. We have snow on the ground and wind chill advisories until Monday or Tuesday. Our home smells like cinnamon spice with a touch of the wood stove thrown into the mix. We are warm and toasty. Life is good, not perfect but good. For me, that is enough. Happy New Year to all our friends and family. I thank you all for your prayers, gifts, cards, care packages, messages, and love. You all have made this year easier on us. Thank you and Happy New Year to each and every one!
    
     

Merry Christmas--VA Style...

    Yesterday we had an  8:30 appointment with the optometrist at the VA.  I told Tommy I would stay downstairs while he had his eyes checked.  I wanted to take some photos of the huge Christmas tree in the lobby.  It is one of the prettiest trees I have ever seen. When I saw it Monday, I didn't have my camera. Today I remembered to put the camera in my purse. I was on a mission.
      The lobby, where the huge tree stands, appeared close to empty. No one had turned on the news channel yet. People were sitting in silent clusters as they waited for a loved one or an appointment. The aroma of coffee filled the air.  Since it was a cloudy day, the sky lights added to the darkness in the lobby.  All I had on my mind was coffee and the tree. I could have sworn  yesterday when I saw this tree it was lit up. I walked  around the tree twice trying to find the connections for the lights. I couldn't find anything. I strolled up to the front desk and asked the three men sitting there, "How do I turn on that beautiful Marine tree?" That, my friends, is when the place lit up!! They all started laughing. The man closest to me said,"What makes you think that is a 'Marine' tree?? I don't see a Marine here. I am Air Force, he is Army and my buddy over there is Navy. Do you see a Marine in here???"  I knew I had already stepped in it so I was ready to have some fun.  I said."I married a Marine. Looks like a Marine tree to me!!" They all started laughing and talking at once. I could have sworn one of them said, "We make the Marines wait outside!" He told me to go plug up the tree. I told him there was no place to plug it up. I had already looked. He was still laughing when he said, "Do you want me to walk back there and fix the 'Marine' tree for you?"  I said, "Or you could fly since you are 'Air Force".  He laughed at my smart ass response and got up to go with me to the tree. The men behind me were still talking and laughing at us. When we reached the tree, he couldn't find a way to plug it up. Finally, from behind the tree, someone said, "It doesn't light up." I told him I could have sworn it was lit up the other day. He said the sun was probably shining and that made it look like it was lit up. He also mentioned the tree did not have lights. The Air Force man and I laughed, shook hands and went our separate ways. I thanked him for his service. As he walked back up front, I heard him mutter and laugh again, "Marine tree".
     As I sat down, I began to study the tree. It is made of red, white and blue sparkly leaves mixed in with the greenery of the tree, to symbolize our flag.  Purple hearts are the only decorations on the bottom two thirds of the tree. They symbolize bravery, sacrifice and often death and honor. The top part of the tree is decorated with white stars. The angel on top of the tree is a soldier encased in white wings.  This tree made me stop and think about all the young men and women who won't be home for Christmas. Some are serving at their duty stations waiting for orders to go somewhere else.  Some will never make it home alive. As always, when I go to the VA, I get a sense of pride and I am thankful once again that I married a Marine and shared his last two years of duty. We made memories to last a lifetime.
     My prayer for the United States is for peace. I know that is an impossibility. Every day the news gets worse. Peace on Earth is an illusion this year...but a good illusion indeed.