Graduations, Holidays, & Surgeries – Oh My by Sharon O’Donnell
Holiday break came none too soon for me this year. I feel like a train pulling into the station after a long journey. When I went back to work full-time in September, I realized that it would be time-consuming and schedule-changing. I’m still glad I did it, but it has been challenging, mostly because my nights are not my own. With a 13-year-old still in the house, there are still projects, homework, sports practices, church events, Scouts, band concerts, allergy shots, orthodontist appointments, etc. to deal with, and it seems that in that since mid-November, all of that has ramped up. When I first started work, I did really well putting aside my natural night owl hours and going to bed before 11, knowing that once I got up at 6 a.m., there would be no 8-9 nap that sometimes kept me going back in my pre-work days. However, things have been so busy lately that I’m once again a night owl, sometimes going to bed at 1 and getting up at 6, stifling yawns at work. Really wish I liked coffee.
Our family photo Christmas card never got done this year, but I’m not going to stress over it. If we get around to taking a picture of all the boys while they are here on break, then we will send out a New Year’s card. It will get out when it gets out . . . if it gets out. I was more concerned this year with sending out my oldest son’s college graduation announcements; he graduated on December 18th, and of course I am extremely proud of him and his success. In the meantime, our long-haired dachshund has had to undergo a liver biopsy due to continued high liver enzymes, and he is recuperating at home now. No cancer, no Cushing’s Disease, but the vet still isn’t sure of the problem. A week and a half ago, a day after our son’s graduation, my husband started having a lot of floaters in his eyes and some dark peripheral vision. Turns out he had to have emergency eye surgery for a detached retina, which can be very serious. He is doing okay right now, but we have to wait until a week or two to determine how successful the operation was. He is now recuperating at home also and is thankful this didn’t occur during a time when he had something scheduled with a client. Due to the holidays, he has some free time to spare. But my husband and our dog are very close, and it is ironic that they both would wind up recuperating together.
Happy Holidays to everyone, and I wish and pray for you all to have a happy, healthy, peaceful, successful 2014. Ditto for our country and our world.
Tags: Christmas, college, eye surgery, graduations, hectic, holidays, retina
