Of This Whole Year

I was thinking today about what I'm most thankful for just in this past year.

It turns out that what seemed like the worst thing (Hudson [inadvertently] lighting himself on fire) developed into the best experience of the year for me. I had never spent that much time one-on-one with Mama. It was so wonderful.

A week-long trip. Huntington, West Virginia. Driving around, finding our way, lots of good discussions, being there for Hudson, worrying about lodging, having our particular travel rituals develop, enjoying our mutual guilty pleasures (only because what we looked forward to all day went against the Hospitality House regulations), laughing and having running jokes, reading aloud to each other. All of it, all of it. Just being together.

My love for Mama was a different and special love after that week. And that is what I am most thankful for this year.

How about you? An event or experience? Something you accomplished or gained? Something you overcame? A realization?

Time Enough

When I was sitting for all those hours in the hospital room, I occupied my mind with this book, Time Enough For Love by Robert A. Heinlein. It is a futuristic, sci-fi/fantasy novel that so far doesn't touch Dune, but still offers quite a bit of interest and fun.

I didn't get very far because we all talked an awful lot and watched this weird reality game show about competitive tattooing as well as the last half of Gladiator, the first third of Book of Eli and Fracture in its entirety. And I'll admit I took some naps. Because if I have to sit in a stuffy room, wear a hospital gown and sit in a chair that can't not recline, I'm going to get sleepy. As would you.

This last picture makes me want to start a new blog all about how to look ridiculous. But I don't know how, it just comes naturally.

West Virginia

For some reason, my brothers end up as wild mountain men, one by one. And they do silly things and start to look like werewolves after awhile. It's all well and good. Until they try to assimilate back into normal society. You can take the boy out of the mountains, but you can't ever get the mountains out of the boy.