Day 146 of 365 Days of Being Thankful

   I am going to try to catch up on my blog from the week I was in the hospital.  I am thankful that my family went to Amy's grave on her anniversary date.  Dan, Renee, Adam(and Sandy), Olivia, Olya, Joe, Kathy, John, Erica, Noah and Natasha went to the grave and read the messages that people had written to Amy. Olya had cut them into small strips as I had asked her to do. The plan was to bury the messages at the gravesite after reading them to Amy.  Erica had brought a huge spoon to bury them, but the ground was too hard!  Everyone made fun of her for the spoon BUT SHE was the only one who brought  something to dig with! Dan and I will bring a big shovel and bury them or we will burn them there and pour the ashes on her grave. I am doing my best to celebrate Amy's life instead of to just mourn her death but it is very difficult to not always be mourning for her.

Since I was in the hospital, and really sick, I couldn't go.  There was never a year that I missed going until this year.

    

I was really sad about that.  My niece Erica bought a bunch of tiny butterfly picks for the grave and she brought some to my hotel room.  I was really thankful that she did that. She also brought a picture of her and Amy and a candle with Amy's picture on it.  Erica is very thoughtful.  My friend Debbie always sends things for Amy on her anniversary date.  Her adorable granddaughter Brielle, aka the craft queen, made a flag with Amy's name on it for the cemetery.

It was so nice because most of the staff asked me about the butterflies and the pictures and the candle so I got to talk about Amy and I also got to get Glunk's name out there again.  Most of the staff asked me about AMy and to tell them the story of what happened to her.  Some of them knew of Glunk because he worked at that hospital.  Some remembered the story when it happened.  Olivia took off on AMy's anniversary date and she told her work why she was taking off.  Some of the stylists also remembered the story about Amy because it was all over the news at the time.  One of the cosmetologists had planned to get plastic surgery and decided not to do that after reading about Amy. I am thankful about her decision. 

I am thankful for all the friends and family that visited me and offered to visit me while I was in the hospital.  My best friend Priscilla came the first night and that was so nice of her.  I actually got worse before I got better so others offered to visit but I turned down their thoughtful and kind offers to visit me.  My sister and niece Erica, as well as Adam and Renee and Dan and Olivia and Olya came everyday unless I told them I wanted to just sleep and rest.  My brother-in-law and other niece Natasha and Noah also visited me. I am thankful for all the emails, phone calls, text messages, and comments while I was in the hospital.  They really cheered me up when I was feeling so bad and so down and so ill. I had felt so bad yesterday that I told my friends and family not to visit. I could barely answer the phone or talk to anyone.  Then, all of a sudden, about 4 pm, I started to feel better and I told the doctor and she put me on a real food diet. Last night, unexpectedly, my friend Nancy came and visited me and brought balloons. 

Balloons always cheer up a situation.  That was so nice of her.  She just showed up and I was so happy to see her, by the time she showed up I felt so much better and was getting bored. Nancy is a friend who is always there when you need her!  Nancy came to my house the first night that Olivia arrived in the U.S. at age 9.  She brought the game TWISTER as a gift for Olivia and we all played.  Olivia has never forgotten about Nancy coming and bringing the game and actually playing it with all of us!  Last night, I had told my sister and niece not to come because I was so ill. Olivia and her boyfriend Frankie showed up too!  Frankie is a really nice young man, I like him a lot.  He went to high school with Olivia and graduated the year after she graduated. He attends a very prestigious trade school. He is in building trades/construction. The school has a 95% job placement rate. It is difficult to get into the mandatory boarding school, and has many rules.  If the students break any rules, they don't get to go home for the weekend. It can be something as simple as failing to complete a homework assignment. That is MY type of school!  It is mandatory that each student keep their grades up and do their homework.  They have to find their own summer job and complete several hundred hours of work during the summer and they receive a grade. The school is a two year trade school.  Frankie's family sent me roses, they are beautiful!

I have never met his family so that was quite a thoughtful act.  Frankie's sister graduated high school with Renee. It is a small world!  Renee said his sister was a very nice girl although they didn't hang out together or have the same friends.  Renee hung out with the nerds and music kids!  I always told my kids to be a nerd or you will work for a nerd! Better to be the nerd boss!  Olivia and Olya cut flowers from my garden and brought them in a vase to me!

My room looked quite festive!  Olivia also brought me some magazines. I wanted People magazine but she couldn't find one at the store she stopped at.

I appreciate all the kindnesses I received from friends, family, and strangers.  While I was in the hospital, I asked Dan, Olivia, and Olya to bring me clean underwear!  I don't think that was too much to ask!  I had a few pair with me but never thought I would be in the hospital 7 nights!  Dan forgot to bring them and a nurse's aide I became friendly with told me that she would get me a package of disposable underwear.  I never knew there was such a thing!  Who would've thought??? I thought they would be made of paper but they were cotton and quite comfortable, I must say!! She gave me two pairs so that gave Dan a day to do my wash and bring me clean underwear.  It is the little things in life that matter!! Clean underwear is an important thing to have!!! I can not WAIT to sleep in my own bed tonight!!!