Great Expectations… and a Christmas Miracle

Is there anything better than a brand spanking new calendar?  This beauty sat near my desk for more than a week, taunting me through its protective plastic sleeve, but I was patient and waited until January to open it.  Because, of course, it’s bad luck to hang a new calendar or turn the page early.  You didn’t know that?  Well, you’re welcome!

Part of my excitement is because I’m an absolute freak about office supplies. Even though there’s absolutely nothing I need, it takes incredible self control at Back-to-School time to not fill my cart with anything and everything. I love the smell of Crayola in the morning.

But there’s more to it than my innocuous obsession. The new calendar is both a clean slate, and a challenge.  How are we going to fill up all those boxes?  Because they will get filled up, one way or the other:

Hopefully, many of the boxes will be filled with joyful activity,

perhaps even creating memories that will last a lifetime:

Inevitably, some boxes won’t hold happy memories, ranging from unpleasant…

to scary…

to downright heartbreaking.

Sometimes we don’t get a say in what goes in the box, but usually we do. Either way, we can’t let the disappointing ones

stop us from making our dreams come true.

And there’s a second moral of the story, too… if there’s any chance you’ll ever be taking pictures of your desk calendar, work on your penmanship, and be neat!

Just Under the Wire… a Christmas Miracle

Epiphany, January 6, is considered by many to be the “official” end of the Christmas season. So, before it’s too late, here is the Christmas miracle I promised.

Ten days before Christmas, my father-in-law, George, went into the hospital. His harrowing experience began with him having a cardiac episode that cased him to flat-line, followed by surgery to implant a defibrillator along with some other minor issues to address.  He moved to the rehab floor in time for Christmas, progressed well, and came home on New Year’s Eve.  He still has some work ahead of him, but is doing well.

But that’s not the miracle. Because what brought George to the ER wasn’t chest pain or any other cardiac symptoms. He went to the ER because of his knee.  You read that right — his knee.  The sudden, inexplicable pain that had sent him to urgent care became so bad that he couldn’t walk, requiring a call to the paramedics.  Who brought him to the ER.  Where he flat-lined. Which had absolutely nothing to do with his knee.

Throughout his stay, George would be sure to tell any new visitor, “My knee saved my life.”  Which is not hyperbole. The doctors said if the cardiac episode had happened at home, he would be dead. (Hence, the defibrillator.) My theory is that his guardian angel kept kicking him in the knee until it hurt enough to make him go to the hospital.  In other words, a miracle.  And not the first I’ve witnessed, by the way.

So, as we begin a new year, and you fill in your boxes, be sure to keep your eyes, and mind, open for the miracles in your life as well. May they be plentiful!