(pic above: our 2-year holiday card)
Out like a Lion …
2013 left us with a microcosm of the ups and downs of the year wrapped up in one day. Looking back, it seems fitting … but I’m glad that it’s come to a close. New Year’s Eve was our 13th wedding anniversary. We’d hoped to celebrate, starting the day off in an extremely promising way by closing on a house in the neighborhood and school district we’ve been looking in for years. My friend took the kiddos so we could steal away for a romantic brunch, but both Jimmy and I were preoccupied and restless. Lulu had seemed a bit under the weather, and our beloved kitty Gizmo was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We finished eating and raced home, hoping to catch a little more time together. Fate had other plans.
Gizzy, ‘Drool-monster’, ‘The big Schmoe’, was lying on the floor stiff and almost lifeless. We raced him to the vet, but his breathing was shallow and he was barely moving. He did perk up enough to give me a couple of sweet nuzzles which I will cherish. You see … I was his special person (and don’t tell Sugar, but he was my favorite kitty). We left him with the vet after getting a call that Lulu had a fever. Off to the hospital with both kids we went. We were so happy to see Lulu’s usual nurse Bonnie who is bestowed with magical skills, I swear. We underwent the usual barrage of port access, blood draws, IV fluids, meds, and the dreaded nose swabs. Lulu was really anxious since we’d had quite a few unexpected trips in recently. She was having a difficult time shaking a flu she’d gotten, and it kept rearing its ugly head in the form of fevers. We kept quiet about our kitty, so as not to upset her any further. After only a few hours we got the green light to go home, with permission to give Tylenol for 24 hours but bring her back if she fevered after that. It was exhausting for everyone, as it always is and we were so relieved to get home. The dreaded call soon came in from the vet; Giz had left us for the great fields of catnip beyond. It seems almost silly to be so upset over a little furry friend, but that cat was a part of our family for almost 16 years. It hit us all SO much harder than we expected. Happy New Year. We waited until the next day to tell the kids and we all cried openly together, huddled on the family sofa, telling stories of this character whom had touched our lives more than we knew. It turned into an unexpectedly bonding moment for us, so we took that from it.
During this time we had water damage to our almost former house after a pipe burst in the attic, literally raining down over the floors below. I really thought I might lose it! I just kept saying “no, NO, NONONONO!!!!”, like machine-gun fire. We also had a tub overflow and damage the soon-to-be new house flooring within the week. It seemed we were on a Lemony Snicket-driven course, accompanied by the bitter cold of the winter. Interestingly, it didn’t take us down. I didn’t lose my mind (really, I swear!). Oh, it had its moments, but there were a few gentle reminders that came in to help put things in perspective for what they were; just a series of unfortunate events. A friend (whose granddaughter had also been through leukemia) gave me some pivotal advice when I told him how hard it was every time we had to go back to ER. He said it’s difficult because it’s a reminder of just HOW FAR YOU’VE COME. What a gift those words were.
We have indeed come so far, and it’s really not that bad. Our little friend Kate and her family have weathered a much harder and unrelenting course through her A.L.L. , and she wrote on her Caring Bridge about a blog entry I’d made in 2011 that had helped her through a trying time. That too, reminded me of how much better things are now … and what a blessing our family, friends, and life are. We were recently taped for a video segment on a new cancer drug, and asked how things were going. Without hesitating, Jimmy said “Great!” and meant it. After a small beat, I thought … he’s right. Things are great. We are all ‘healthy’ and Lulu is nearing the end of her treatment. We are weathering the storms and have seen many rainbows between the clouds.
Spring will be a fresh start for all of us. We hope and pray it comes in like a lamb!
Love, a.l.l. of us
