Full Moon, Gratitude, and Another Trip to the Hospital for Mom

Did you see the moon tonight? Beautiful. In the early evening over Birmingham it looked like a big silver charger. My friend told me that she believes that the full moon is a time when it’s good to set new intensions. Tonight I asked to be able to forgive on a deeper level those who are cruel to me or mean me harm. I feel grateful when I look at the sky and I am grateful that I’ll get to do so much time doing that over the next few days. I’ll be pitching a tent and sleeping under the stars to whole time I’m in Texas. I have one more day to prepare and then I head out. Don’t worry, my house will be heavily guarded while I’m away and I have several folks staying with and looking in on Mom. I told her I was willing to forgo my trip to the annual prayer ceremony but she wouldn’t hear of it. Maybe at this point deep prayer is what I can do to help her most.

I spoke with my good friend Nick tonight. He now lives in Canada. For years now, he and I have been trading daily texts listing two things for which we’re grateful. I’m grateful for Nick and grateful he didn’t die in that avalanche last week. He nearly did. Nick is a badass. I’d hate to lose him. But if I did lose Nick while he was doing any of the several extreme sports he loves so much, I’d be grateful he went down doing what he loved instead of living a life of safe boredom. Some of you will understand that. You’re my favorites.

Did I mention I’ll be “off the grid” for that ten days? I’ll have absolutely all electronics shut off and put away so there won’t be a blog. Actually, if I end up with a bunch of extra time tomorrow on my last day to pack before I leave (as if) I can schedule several short posts to go up each day. WordPress has that feature. Of course there won’t be a link on Facebook. I just don’t want you to miss me too much. And I especially don’t want my little Salt Lake troll to get lonely. His life, I’m sure would be a sad and lonely place without me. It’s nice to be hated by the right people. It lets one know one is living well.

As I approach this sacred ceremony (in the Lakota tradition), I’ve been able to step back and look and my life from a broader perspective. I have a whole lot to be grateful for and I’m looking forward to more but if by some unforeseen circumstance it did end here, you should know that I died living the life I wanted to live. Even with all the difficulties I’ve faced (and I have faced a few), if forced to sum up my life in a word, it would have to be “grateful.” There was a time back in my active alcoholism when I would look around and think, “I’d rather be anybody other than me.” Now, the opposite is true. There’s no one else I’d rather be. Thanks for sharing the journey.

See y’all tomorrow.

Whoops. Correction. I just thought that was the end of the night.

The rehab place called and said Mom was struggling to breath. We’re back at the hospital. She has some fluid around her heart. It doesn’t look like I’ll be going to Texas after all. I appreciate y’all’s continued prayers and/or good thoughts.

Now… See y’all tomorrow

02:41 and I’m back home. The doctor says they can’t rule out pneumonia. They admitted Mom and are running further tests. I’ll go back up there tomorrow morning when I wake up and will give a report. I know many of her friends have taken to checking my blog for her health news. I hope my craziness doesn’t destroy y’all’s health. Now– for the last time tonight, goodnight.

See y’all “tomorrow”