FEBRUARY WALKER NEWSLETTER

Hello~

I remember Valentine's Day when I was a little girl, how each of us in the class brought from home a cardboard shoe box with a lid to cover with construction paper and decorated hearts, after making a slot in the top for cards. These Valentine boxes would sit on the top of our desk as anticipation built through the week. At night, time was spent making homemade Valentine cards for each boy and girl in one's grade. Then on Valentine's Day, everyone got a chance to go around and put the cards into their classmates’ boxes. When it was time for the party, cookies or maybe a cupcake (in the older classes) would be handed out along with Valentine’s candy. The punch, made up of Kool-Aid, was served in small paper cups. The boys usually gobbled down the cookies, candy, and punch while we girls savored every bite, often saving a piece of candy for the bus ride home. Each Valentine card was read, looked over, and counted. At least one popular girl would get a message that said, "I love you. Do you love me? Mark 'yes' or 'no'."

Back then, Valentine's Day was one of the highlights of the school year, unlike today, where candy, cookies, gum, and pop are given year-round to children, making it a lot harder to satisfy or excite them. Seeing your parents work hard to keep the family going, and doing without, made one grateful and appreciative of small things. Too often these values have become lost in our fast-paced, high-tech world of today.

Winter is still here in the Tennessee Mountains with frigid temps, cold blasts from the arctic, and a bit of snow. The last huge storm that hit the Eastern coast, knocking out a lot of electricity with unusually large snowfall, mainly passed by us. We got a bit of snow and ice, but wonder of wonders, out electricity actually stayed on.

I'm not sure if it is due to the many upgrades made throughout the past years- considering that we lose electricity year-round when bad storms hit or someone runs into a pole. I'll never forget, after my daughter got married, and a storm hit the Nashville area, she called me in wonderment, saying, "Guess what, Mom? We had a bad storm, and the electricity stayed on." I was quite thankful that our electricity didn't go out, but felt a bit guilty as around here most people have a second source of heat, either with wood or gas, have a generator, and oil or kerosene lamps, compared to all those who usually don't lose their electricity. With a woodstove I can cook on, a pantry full of canned food, and oil lamps in every room, I'm always prepared to rough it. More than once, a neighbor has come to check if we still had electricity when it went out after seeing light in the house.

After battling a cold for one week, I was back up on my feet, walking by myself and starting to go up and down the study steps, when didn't I somehow go and sprain my left ankle getting out of the recliner too fast? Once I'm on my feet, Dwight has to keep warning me to slow down, because it’s hard to undo sixty-plus years of running to keep up with raising my kids and Dana. So, I ended up back on the walker for a couple of days. having to begin all over again. The next two weeks, we focused on me being able to get my snacks and meals versus the length of walking, to prepare for Dwight getting his wisdom teeth out and being down a couple of days. I was doing well, loved being independent, feeling like myself, and able to fuss over Dwight a bit. Right before my third week began, I lost my balance while bending over, not realizing how weak I still was, and fell backwards. Thankfully, I fell into the freezer instead of hitting the floor, but the impact jolted my hip. Once more, I had to go back on the walker. If only our crazy bodies would behave themselves, huh? The good news is that my new prescription keeps my sciatic nerves from becoming really inflamed, where I am in agony for days. I’m also able to bounce back faster. The bad news is that I always have to start all over. Sigh. I am back on my feet, walking without the walker, trying to behave myself and pick up some speed. Going slow, in order to make it up into the third week, takes lots of patience. As Dwight puts it, “I too often sabotage myself.”

On the bright side, Dwight finally (after about three, almost four years) was able to get his wisdom teeth out. Between finding a surgeon who was willing to work on someone with severe hemophilia, insurance changing every couple of years, and getting everything coordinated with the hemophilia clinic, Dwight would painfully wait for six months to a year, only to get a phone call cancelling the appointment the week before. This happened twice. Then the entire process would have to begin again. So, it was a big answer to prayer and relief when everything got lined up, with enough factor to raise and keep his clotting level up, that it finally got done.

Meanwhile, I’m staying close by the woodstove that keeps the house warm and cozy, thanking the Lord each day I can get up and walk, count my blessings to keep a positive outlook, writing, crocheting a large afghan (double bed) for my grandson, Case, that is graduating high school this year in May, working on finishing up my six-generation heirloom crazy quilt, and trying to stay out of trouble.

Until next time~

Dorcas