Hope everyone had a lovely and happy Thanksgiving! Ours was an intimate and relaxing one with just our immediate family, although we did make rounds of phone calls to both sides of the family and zoomed with Chris’ family in the evening: his mom, brothers and wives, and nieces and nephews. All in all, it was a perfect day to putter around the house, decorate homemade ornaments, heat up and eat our Costco Thanksgiving dinner, and ended the day after playing with Diamond, our floofy bunny guest for the week.
I’m in disbelief that December is only a day away! How does time pass so quickly? Ellis staying home and not getting sick this entire month has been a Godsend and we are so thankful for this blessed time. I couldn’t bring myself to mention anything from fear that I might be let down. Her new anti-nausea is doing wonders for her compared to the previous anti-nausea medication that she took for 10 years (that also worked as an appetite stimulant).
Each day I remind myself that everyday together is a miracle and that we need to live it to the fullest, whether that be doing something special or just staying home and going about life. The heart failure issue seems like a distant memory although it lingers in the background, but I desperately hope she’s that special case where medication tweaking will keep her steady and healthy as long as possible before any intervention is necessary. My hope renewed this month when I saw Ellis being like a regular kid: going to youth group meetings at church, working on her crafts, reading her favorite books in bed, writing out her Christmas list, enjoying special outings with the family without getting sick in the car or at the event. I am relieved and feeling extremely grateful!!
But I’m so ready to start a new year with a fresh slate! I give it all to God and lay my fears, worries, and sorrows at His feet, because I can’t do anything about them.
Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed start to this long weekend. š Peace, Esther
21 responses to “2024 Thanksgiving reflections”
Awwwwā¦Diamond is a sweetheart š° !
Amen, š so thankful, Esther, to hear Ellis is doing better, and for your Happy & Blessed family Thanksgiving. Ongoing prayers for healing and for more of Godās great goodness. So important to keep casting all cares upon the Lord who cares for us far more than we can imagine. šā„ļøš
Diamond is a sweet bunny and she comes to visit occasionally! She’s a treat for us since we love to have a furry animal around. Dart, our Leopard Gecko, is cute but he’s not an animal you can pet. lol
Yes, I’m learning to let go and let God take control of my worries…it’s so difficult to believe but so much evidence of His goodness that I can’t ignore His hand on our lives. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
God is so loving and faithful ššš©·
Agree wholeheartedly!
It’s wonderful that you had a pleasant and peaceful Thanksgiving, but even better that the month leading up to it was relatively stress-free. I’m as surprised as you that we’re at the threshold of December, but so it is. I fully intend to keep the weeks before Christmas as peaceful and stressfree as I can, and I hope the same for you!
Thank the Lord! This month has been a recovery month for us and time to catch up on life. December is another month of specialist appointments and a heart cath, but I’m feeling more prepared to face them with Ellis.
I like your stance on keeping the weeks before Christmas peaceful and stress free! I will try my best too.
I’m so happy to hear that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your immediate family. Fantastic news about Ellis’s new autinausea medication!!
Thank you, Liz! Relieved that I can breathe a sigh of relief and not live on the edge in fear of a throw up. The ambiance at home is relaxed. Thank the Lord! I felt wiped out.
You’re welcome, Esther!
It looks happy and that’s precious.
Thank you, Jo! Diamond is a happy guest.
This is a very uplifting post Esther and I like seeing the photo as well. I’m happy for you and your family about this normal status quo with no medical crises and just a chance to enjoy some Fall outings and other activities or just chillin’ with the family. That is good news. I hope you can continue this trend in the new year. Diamond is so pretty and is enjoying being catered to and fawned over – well don’t we all?
Thank you for your comment! So glad to hear that it was uplifting. I also hope this trend will continue. We’ve been going on outings and doing more activities without fear that she will fall ill. She doesn’t even have to tell me when she’s getting sick…I look at her face and it’s all there.
Yes, Diamond is a superb guest and we cater to her well! lol
Well I hope this feeling good persists through the holiday season and beyond. You and the family need a break after this year and 2023 was not so special either as I recall (Covid and the reason for it). Diamond is a sweetie and looks very loved and whose cute socks were next to her?
Oh my goodness, the past 2 years have been quite the roller coaster ride for us! So many unexpected challenges but so many wonderful blessings too. After this summer and early fall, I’m learning to appreciate each day and to not complain about the mundane. When we’re stuck in the hospital, gosh we wish to be home to do those mundane things.
Those are Ellis’ socks. lol. She crocheted that red string thing for her and the little blue cap.
Mundane is good – I like a day with nothing going on. I hated when the contractor was here in October. I am glad I had Council Point Park to go to because he’d say he would be there and never show – heck, he’d send a message “on my way” and never show. After the first day of no-showing I saw what he was like, but I am so accustomed to being alone, that it was like an intrusion in my day never knowing if he would bother to show up that day – this went on for 3 1/2 weeks. The squirrels and birds were overjoyed to see me every single day. š Very cool socks and I remember Ellis made something for Elliot in green too.
May God give you blessings upon blessings in the new year! So glad to hear the new Rx is working well!
Thank you, friend! Wishing you the same as well in the coming new year.
Aameen,Esther! Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed start to this long weekend. šPeace, Raj!
Diamond looks like a stuffie that I could slip my feet into to keep them warm! š
āThe heart failure issue seems like a distant memory although it lingers in the background, but I desperately hope sheās that special case where medication tweaking will keep her steady and healthy as long as possible before any intervention is necessary.ā ~ Esther
I hope so too, Esther. My new Cartiologist said that the results of my two EKGs & Echocardiogram shows a very strong heart with A-fib, no damage or valves issues and I have no symptoms of congestive heart failure. He said that sometimes emergency room doctors confuse CHF with viruses because symptoms are similar. My Cartiologist thinks that I had a virus in the ICU hospitalization and with all the dozen IVs that they hooked me up to loading me with fluids and pharmaceuticals turned the virus into pneumonia and that is what they drained from my lungs that I actually saw in the jar. Again, He saw no damage or signs of CHF! The echocardiogram confirmed arterial fibulation A-Fib which he thinks is most likely to be caused from my overactive thyroid, Gravesā disease, that I knew I had palpitations from for over 20 years and have been successful with controlling thyroid overactivity through minimal medication. My Cartiologist recommended a TEE & Cardioversion procedure which stops the heart then shocks it to restart and reset hoping to get a regular rhythm. Itās not a cure but can give relief for a while. After I weighed all the risks and my emotional anxiety and hospitalization traumas, and additional medical cost stress, I decided that I did not want to go down that path. My Cartiologist understood and together we decided to just treat the A-Fib with medications and follow up next May 2025. I am still dealing with the a-fib as ii will always be a chronic heart health condition.
Esther, every oneās body is so different: that itās complicated. Thereās no one treatment to fit all. We just have to follow our own knowledge of everything we know about our individual body and emotions and our mindās well being. Trust yourself, trust Chris, trust Elliot, and trust Ellis because all four of you know your whole family story. Sending our love. ā¤ļø š¾š¾
TD, I am so extremely happy to hear that doctor said you have no signs of CHF! What a relief, and poor you with all that you went through in the ICU and then the subsequent diagnosis. The term itself is so harsh, connoting doom. Yesterday we had a cardiologist appointment and I had to use the a acronym and Ellis was immediately in tears. I hope medications will go the trick as long as we can. I heard that some patients do well enough with medications. I do hope to God we’re that case.
Thank you TD for your kind encouragement and words of support. Everybody is different and we all have to respect it. No one specific treatment fits the bill.
Sending our love back to you both!