Saturday, August 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Every day is a blessing!
Recently my wife wrote this incredible note. I can't add too much to it other than thank you and I feel blessed to have the family and friends that I have.
4 yrs ago this week ... feels like 20 yrs ago, and sometimes, feels like yesterday. Trauma is weird. Christos & I are grateful for friends who've helped us in the really bad times, from April 2008 to now. We are growing, learning. It's as painful as ever but I know God is at work for our good.
I'll never forget the super foreboding feeling I had 4 yrs ago this week. There was a darkness, a superior heaviness in my soul that could not be seen, that final day of our family vacation, but it was most certainly felt ... but, even then, I felt God telling me "everything is going to be ok".
I'll never forget the presence of God in the 25 hour car drive home from Orlando to Chicago, and knowing that ... had I indeed stopped at my friend Tammy's home in Nashville, at 11 p.m., her husband would've made sure Christos would've gotten top medical care. As it was, I drove straight through to Naperville, and the Neurosurgeon in the ER just happened to be one of the best in the business.
I'll never forget the panic of "this isn't happening", the next morning I found Christos unresponsive at home. The helpless feeling of waiting for the ambulance to arrive & having a kind neighbor offer to help in any way.
I'll never ever forget the feeling of God holding me as that doctor sat me down to let me know he wasn't sure if Christos was going to make it.
I'll never forget the way my beloved husband behaved on steroids in the ICU, for 5 days, while waiting for the go ahead for brain surgery. Steroids that no doubt, saved his life. Steroids that turned him into a total weirdo that told bad jokes & whose main words were "I'm good" , several times a minute, but ... you know, the nurses understood & took great care of him. ;) The ICU nurses at Edward were simply outstanding.
I'll never forget the drain coming out of Christos' brain - and perhaps, never will our Sofia either ... 'cause I'll never forget the nervous breakdown she had, minutes after seeing her Dad post-surgery. She really wanted to see her Daddy, and I gave in ... was it the best decision? I don't know, but what did Christos say to her? "I'm good". ;)
I'll never forget the church friends who showed up the morning of the surgery, at our home & at the hospital, to just "be there" ... and the church friends who arranged childcare for many days, so I could be in the hospital without worry. I do believe I'm STILL finding out who has been at my house when I wasn't there, hehe. Such wonderful people ... thank you for being such a blessing to us.
I'll never forget taking care of my husband's 24-hr IV, twice a day for 3 months, how easily I slipped into "nurse" mode & how encouraging the nurses were to me, telling me I'd make a great nurse. I'll never forget the head-to-toe hives Christos broke out into for days on end, after being on multiple meds for over 2 months. I'm sure Christos will never forget that sensation either ... yikes! That was pure torture, ya'll.
Little by little, the stressors were removed: he survived the brain surgery brilliantly. His PICC line went in easily, and stayed that way for the 3 month duration. He was weaned off of steroids (thank you sweet baby Jesus!), each med was removed one at a time, Christos returned to work, from the dining room table at home ... then ... the economy tanked. Big time. Christos began job transitions, several job transitions, within a year. His beloved , precious mother passed away.
I'll never forget Yia Yia "Kula". She lived with us for a total of 8 yrs. She taught me basic conversational Greek, often with much laughter thrown in. She taught me to enjoy each day, and moment, as it came. Taking care of her the last 2 yrs she stayed with us, was the biggest challenge of my character & it saddens me to say I wasn't always the most cheerful caregiver - but the rewards, I can't count them all. What a blessing she was in our lives!! She taught me so much, more than I can still comprehend. She was a brilliant example of unconditional love & source of comfort and joy in our home - even when she was yelling at her Greek soap operas. Dear God, I loved that woman. I am sure she is having a party up in Heaven with You, dancing & singing.
I'll never forget the next 4 years of blessings in disguise (ie, painful situations) when we ended up on Food Stamps due to no income, fighting our way out of that, only to have our home go into foreclosure. I'll never forget the feeling of "being served" those court papers & wondering "what's next, God?"
I'll never forget joining the workforce again (part-time) after being a full-time Stay At Home Mom for 14 years. I'll never forget the wonderful coworkers I had at the various jobs I took on between October 2009-May 2011. I'll never forget realizing that I needed to find a full-time job in order for us to save our home ... and I will never forget the feeling of fighting our way OUT of foreclosure & saving our home. We went with what we felt God was telling us to do & boom, we snatched our home back away from the clutches of the bank. I feel terribly sad, however, every time I see an empty home. Each home has a story & I can't help but wonder ...
It's been 4 years. Last week I worked 46 hours away from home. As much as I love my full-time job, my heart aches to be away from my kids when I know they need my help. I'm super blessed to have an amazing husband who is great with kids & who helps out so much at home. We would be a mess without him here. I am so thankful God chose to let him stay. 4 years later, I've got a lot more gray hair. 30 less pounds on my bones. Some more "character lines" on my face, and some serious undereye circles. haha. 4 yrs later, I've discovered I'm not the person I thought I was (that's both good & bad). I've grown cynical, sassy & impatient. Often, I don't like who I am. Maybe that's just the lack of rest, I don't know. I've become more direct in communication & find myself encouraging others to "see the big picture" on almost a daily basis. Yet, I'm a details person. I am a walking contradiction. I am still learning, apparently, how to live "one day at a time". Christos & I have had to make some gut-wrenching decisions each one of the past 4 yrs - and it does NOT get easier. People don't fully understand our decisions sometimes & you know, that's ok. While I may be more cynical, sassy & impatient, I am less judgemental. One cannot simply understand what another has gone through ... and I do not expect others to understand the battles in my mind & heart that have raged since April 2008.
For instance ... this was going to be a simple status update. Whoops. "Note" it is.
One thing has remained steadfast in the chaos of the past 4 years & one thing alone. God. He is always there, never changing, never wavering, forever faithful. I pray blessings on all our dear friends, neighbors, coworkers, & family. May you know just how deeply God loves you & wants the best for you! If you are struggling with the day-to-day, don't hesitate to contact me, I would love to give you encouragement. Keep fighting for what's best, and do not settle for any less! Mwah!
4 yrs ago this week ... feels like 20 yrs ago, and sometimes, feels like yesterday. Trauma is weird. Christos & I are grateful for friends who've helped us in the really bad times, from April 2008 to now. We are growing, learning. It's as painful as ever but I know God is at work for our good.
I'll never forget the super foreboding feeling I had 4 yrs ago this week. There was a darkness, a superior heaviness in my soul that could not be seen, that final day of our family vacation, but it was most certainly felt ... but, even then, I felt God telling me "everything is going to be ok".
I'll never forget the presence of God in the 25 hour car drive home from Orlando to Chicago, and knowing that ... had I indeed stopped at my friend Tammy's home in Nashville, at 11 p.m., her husband would've made sure Christos would've gotten top medical care. As it was, I drove straight through to Naperville, and the Neurosurgeon in the ER just happened to be one of the best in the business.
I'll never forget the panic of "this isn't happening", the next morning I found Christos unresponsive at home. The helpless feeling of waiting for the ambulance to arrive & having a kind neighbor offer to help in any way.
I'll never ever forget the feeling of God holding me as that doctor sat me down to let me know he wasn't sure if Christos was going to make it.
I'll never forget the way my beloved husband behaved on steroids in the ICU, for 5 days, while waiting for the go ahead for brain surgery. Steroids that no doubt, saved his life. Steroids that turned him into a total weirdo that told bad jokes & whose main words were "I'm good" , several times a minute, but ... you know, the nurses understood & took great care of him. ;) The ICU nurses at Edward were simply outstanding.
I'll never forget the drain coming out of Christos' brain - and perhaps, never will our Sofia either ... 'cause I'll never forget the nervous breakdown she had, minutes after seeing her Dad post-surgery. She really wanted to see her Daddy, and I gave in ... was it the best decision? I don't know, but what did Christos say to her? "I'm good". ;)
I'll never forget the church friends who showed up the morning of the surgery, at our home & at the hospital, to just "be there" ... and the church friends who arranged childcare for many days, so I could be in the hospital without worry. I do believe I'm STILL finding out who has been at my house when I wasn't there, hehe. Such wonderful people ... thank you for being such a blessing to us.
I'll never forget taking care of my husband's 24-hr IV, twice a day for 3 months, how easily I slipped into "nurse" mode & how encouraging the nurses were to me, telling me I'd make a great nurse. I'll never forget the head-to-toe hives Christos broke out into for days on end, after being on multiple meds for over 2 months. I'm sure Christos will never forget that sensation either ... yikes! That was pure torture, ya'll.
Little by little, the stressors were removed: he survived the brain surgery brilliantly. His PICC line went in easily, and stayed that way for the 3 month duration. He was weaned off of steroids (thank you sweet baby Jesus!), each med was removed one at a time, Christos returned to work, from the dining room table at home ... then ... the economy tanked. Big time. Christos began job transitions, several job transitions, within a year. His beloved , precious mother passed away.
I'll never forget Yia Yia "Kula". She lived with us for a total of 8 yrs. She taught me basic conversational Greek, often with much laughter thrown in. She taught me to enjoy each day, and moment, as it came. Taking care of her the last 2 yrs she stayed with us, was the biggest challenge of my character & it saddens me to say I wasn't always the most cheerful caregiver - but the rewards, I can't count them all. What a blessing she was in our lives!! She taught me so much, more than I can still comprehend. She was a brilliant example of unconditional love & source of comfort and joy in our home - even when she was yelling at her Greek soap operas. Dear God, I loved that woman. I am sure she is having a party up in Heaven with You, dancing & singing.
I'll never forget the next 4 years of blessings in disguise (ie, painful situations) when we ended up on Food Stamps due to no income, fighting our way out of that, only to have our home go into foreclosure. I'll never forget the feeling of "being served" those court papers & wondering "what's next, God?"
I'll never forget joining the workforce again (part-time) after being a full-time Stay At Home Mom for 14 years. I'll never forget the wonderful coworkers I had at the various jobs I took on between October 2009-May 2011. I'll never forget realizing that I needed to find a full-time job in order for us to save our home ... and I will never forget the feeling of fighting our way OUT of foreclosure & saving our home. We went with what we felt God was telling us to do & boom, we snatched our home back away from the clutches of the bank. I feel terribly sad, however, every time I see an empty home. Each home has a story & I can't help but wonder ...
It's been 4 years. Last week I worked 46 hours away from home. As much as I love my full-time job, my heart aches to be away from my kids when I know they need my help. I'm super blessed to have an amazing husband who is great with kids & who helps out so much at home. We would be a mess without him here. I am so thankful God chose to let him stay. 4 years later, I've got a lot more gray hair. 30 less pounds on my bones. Some more "character lines" on my face, and some serious undereye circles. haha. 4 yrs later, I've discovered I'm not the person I thought I was (that's both good & bad). I've grown cynical, sassy & impatient. Often, I don't like who I am. Maybe that's just the lack of rest, I don't know. I've become more direct in communication & find myself encouraging others to "see the big picture" on almost a daily basis. Yet, I'm a details person. I am a walking contradiction. I am still learning, apparently, how to live "one day at a time". Christos & I have had to make some gut-wrenching decisions each one of the past 4 yrs - and it does NOT get easier. People don't fully understand our decisions sometimes & you know, that's ok. While I may be more cynical, sassy & impatient, I am less judgemental. One cannot simply understand what another has gone through ... and I do not expect others to understand the battles in my mind & heart that have raged since April 2008.
For instance ... this was going to be a simple status update. Whoops. "Note" it is.
One thing has remained steadfast in the chaos of the past 4 years & one thing alone. God. He is always there, never changing, never wavering, forever faithful. I pray blessings on all our dear friends, neighbors, coworkers, & family. May you know just how deeply God loves you & wants the best for you! If you are struggling with the day-to-day, don't hesitate to contact me, I would love to give you encouragement. Keep fighting for what's best, and do not settle for any less! Mwah!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
-> Being Better
Time to renew and restart!Time to be Better! Better at what?
My goal is to be a Better Man! Which leads to -> Being Better!
HOW?
Enjoy Life, Smile, Begin things, Finish, Do It, LOL, Pray More, Read -> Being Better!
Learn More, Sell More, Play More, Act -> Being Better!
Write, Love, Listen, help, Bless, believe -> Being Better!
Be Nice, Be Helpful, Be courteous, Be Encouraging -> Being Better!
Slow Down, Enjoy, Cherish, Hug, Sing -> Being Better!
Care, Understand, Change, Be a Part of -> Being Better!
Be Honest, Fix, Heal, Forgive, Serve -> Being Better!
Dance, Sing, Enjoy, ROFL -> Being Better!
Eat Better, Exercise, Sleep -> Being Better!
What would make you Better?
My goal is to be a Better Man! Which leads to -> Being Better!
HOW?
Enjoy Life, Smile, Begin things, Finish, Do It, LOL, Pray More, Read -> Being Better!
Learn More, Sell More, Play More, Act -> Being Better!
Write, Love, Listen, help, Bless, believe -> Being Better!
Be Nice, Be Helpful, Be courteous, Be Encouraging -> Being Better!
Slow Down, Enjoy, Cherish, Hug, Sing -> Being Better!
Care, Understand, Change, Be a Part of -> Being Better!
Be Honest, Fix, Heal, Forgive, Serve -> Being Better!
Dance, Sing, Enjoy, ROFL -> Being Better!
Eat Better, Exercise, Sleep -> Being Better!
What would make you Better?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
People need to start to see the big picture.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/guest-post-paychecks-perception-propaganda-power
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)