A New Year's Day - 2010 Unfolding

As year 2009 ended I thought about all things big and small in Don't Forget to Stop and Smell the Flowers. I wrote, "I am once again in awe of the curve balls that life throws me....and how I handled it to bring on a fresh 2010 with glorious dreams, hopes and wishes that I will soon fulfill."

My family started out January 01, 2010 as any other New Year's Day. We were having a relaxing morning and went out to run a couple of errands. As soon as I walked in the door my phone rings and it's the phone call that every mother dreads.

My son only calls when he's sick and when I hear the "MOM" in a weak voice I know it's not good. He was in the emergency room and to make a long story short his gallbladder had become infected and the infection leaking into his stomach. He was on Morphine by 11am as the pain was so bad (usually excruciating pain when the gallstone is in the bile duct as I'd had when I was 25 yrs. Old)

Emergency surgery started by 4:30pm and we were waiting for him when he came out of recovery at 8:35 or so.

He'll be fine and he's home now but here's the kicker. HE DROVE HIMSELF TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT 5am New Years Day because ‘he didn't want to bother anyone'. You can bet he won't do that again....especially after mom ‘counseled' him.

Those curve balls hit at any time folks. I'm just happy that in my latter years of life I recognize the importance of Stopping to Smell those Flowers......

You can never bring back time.

Do you know what your flowers are?

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Note: I want to thank all who attended to my son (Emergency Room, Surgery unit, Surgeons, nurses and staff) at Tripler Army Medical Center and for taking good care of my son, Michael, a veteran of the US Armed Forces.