Full of Gratitude

Julie Cahill Tarr of GenBlog challenged the Genea-Bloggers to post two things for which they're thankful. I'm a little late to the game, but I couldn't pass up the chance to express my gratitude over the events in the past week and a half.

First, I'm thankful to all those people in my life who have been so wonderfully kind and thoughtful to me lately. Going into surgery was a Big Deal, as it was my first surgery ever and my only real hospitalization other than being born and giving birth.

• *Thank you to Dr. Christopher Lang and his surgical team for doing major repair work on not one, but two, tendons (I just discovered this in my followup appointment yesterday!) as well as filing off that painful bone spur, leaving me with only four tiny incisions that are healing quite nicely. Thank you to Naomi, the intake nurse at Holy Family Hospital who was so warm and caring, and took the time to make sure I was comfortable and anxiety-free before surgery. Thank you to all the other staff at Spokane Orthopedics and Holy Family who made my medical experience a positive one.

• *Thank you to my children's father, who was a surprisingly good recovery nurse (lest this sounds like a back-handed compliment, if you but knew the Midkiff inability--it extends to his siblings and daughter--to withstand even the thought of blood or bodily fluids, you would understand my gratefulness for assistance with things like changing dressings, etc.)! Also, thanks to my children, Missy, for her willingness to run errands and fix meals, and Matt, for help with lots of household chores.

• *Thanks to Brenda (my daughter's boyfriend's mother) for taking me to the hospital early on surgery morning after my children's father had to work the night before, for the meals cooked and goodies baked (I swear my next surgery will have to be a tummy tuck!), and for taking my teens to their home now and again to give me some needed time to myself.

• *Thank you to my friend, neighbor, and walking partner Kristy for the delicious meal and thoughts and prayers.

• *Thanks to the staff at Garry Middle School for their cards, e-mails, phone calls, prayers, visits, and meals; special thanks to Diane, Monica, Kelleen, and Judy, as well as to Pat, my sub. It is wonderful to look forward to going back to work again. I miss you and the students!

• *Thank you to my children's father's family members and my own family members who also sent e-mails, phoned me, visited, sent prayers and thoughts my way, and sent yummy care packages!

• *Thanks to members of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society and the Genea-Bloggers who have sent good wishes via e-mails and comments.

I feel blessed to have so many caring people in my life!

Secondly, I am grateful for quality medical care. We know the frightening and stressful experience of what it is like to live without medical insurance, and so we are doubly blessed that between my children's father's and my employers, we can now pick and choose the providers that are best suited for our family's needs. I'm also grateful that we live in a country where medical service is close by and of high quality. I feel very blessed that my employer allows me to accumulate sick leave and that because my children's father and I work opposite shifts, it has allowed us over the years to always have someone home when the kids are sick, without using up a lot of our own sick time. It is because of this that I am able to take off so much necessary time from work to fully recuperate.