Happy birthday to me!

I do plan on celebrating a little more than a matcha latte and a piece of
chocolate -- but for the record that wouldn't be so terrible if that were
the extent of what I did today.

I have much to celebrate. A sister who is autistic and nonverbal has been
having a number of scary symptoms for several weeks. My mother, who has
been her primary caretaker, is suffering with her own issues...etc. Suffice
to say that getting my sister in for a procedure yesterday required not
only the help of another sister, my husband, and some kind nurses, but also
the planning I'm known for. And maybe a couple of minor miracles.

I am happy to report that she is fine or will be in a few weeks. Of all the
problems it could have been, this is the one that I would have picked.
Thank you, universe.

I also celebrate that I feel so much better for this birthday than I did
for the last one. I had just left what turned out to be my final chemo
session the day before, which required me to be in the hospital five days,
but I could only endure four. And that day also featured the chest pains my
team was watching for, and which ultimately determined that my sessions
were ending. It was not the worst day ever -- I had my family -- but this
one is already better. Indulging in an early morning walk instead of
sitting in the dark for a few hours is even better than the latte.

Finally, the last few days have been tempered with more bitter news.
Another close relative learned that a health problem they had vanquished
years ago had returned for a repeat performance. It is frightening, since
this person is now that much older. However, and I mean this, in this case
that may turn out to be a good thing, not least because it also means
medical science has had that much longer to improve.

Aging can save our lives.

Let's endure those bad days and scary times so we can enjoy early mornings,
matcha, chocolate, good news, and family.

Deb in the City

PS The latte was very good

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Sent from my GO FLIP 3