December Is A Bad Month For Me

December  27th 1997 my dear sister Mabel passed away. My heart was breaking. I couldn’t go to the funeral .I had cancer surgery and was doing Chemotherapy. I didn’t want anybody to know as they all had enough on their plates without me. My surgery was in October and soon after that the Chemo started. I really was having a bad time. The Doctor said I could go if I wanted to. They could postpone the Chemo for a few days. By now my hair was falling out by the handful. The head nurse told me about my immune system. She said if I caught even the slightest cold I would get pneumonia and there is no cure with an immune system like mine. Sherry Lewis the beautiful ventriloquist died from pneumonia while doing Chemo. What a dilemma that was for me . I thought I would go nuts. In the end, I decided to stay home and tell my family what was happening. Anybody who has gone through Chemo knows how hard it is . After Chemo I went for radiation treatments. It dragged right into spring . I had 23 of those. They are almost as bad as Chemo maybe even worse. They were going to do 34; my poor body couldn’t take it . My blood was so run down and wouldn’t build up so the cancer clinic decided to stop at 23. My body was so weakened I could hardly walk up the stairs to my house. Spring was here and again I was so sick.  My dear family notified me that my brother in- law had passed away very suddenly. . He died on a very significant day. May the 6th,it was Mabels birthday as well as their wedding anniversary. Now it is the memorial day of my dear Brother in- law. Today it all came sweeping back again and I felt the terrible pain all over again. I loved them both so much. I will miss them forever. I dream of my dear sister often. I see her the way she was when she was well.  In my dreams she is always running and smiling. I just know she is in a good place, running and happy. God Bless you both Mabel and Pete. I know you are in his care.

My Sister Mabel and I

Many years ago when our families were both young . I lived in Vancouver ,my sister lived on a farm in the Slocan valley. I know the valley well as this is where I grew up most of my life. Mabel had five children all ages and I had my two . We made a point of going to the valley on our holidays.(it was like going home)Sis and I would have not much time to visit. We were too busy with the kids. Late in the afternoon after dinner we would go to our isolation booth. The two holer in the back of the house.There was no indoor plumbing. So here we would sit and enjoy a great visit. It was a sad day when indoor plumbing arrived.(laughing out loud)I told my brother in law Pete to leave the two holer standing just for sentimental reasons. Of course he eventually had to pull it down. Next visit after the two holer’s exit that was the first thing I noticed. Our isolation booth was gone . It was a sad day.Thats progress.You don’t realize how nice indoor plumbing is until you have it.Today I’m saying goodbye to the old two holer,and all the wonderful memories that come with it.