Resolutions.....

It's been a while since my last post and so much has happened in a relatively short time. After spending a lovely Christmas with family, my husband Steve became ill with what we thought was the flu. After a few days of fever, head and body aches, he developed a very scary looking rash and swelling of his lower leg and was admitted to hospital on new year's eve with a bacterial infection of unknown origin. He spent 5 days on IV antibiotics and has just received the OK to return to work. It could have been so much worse and I'm so thankful to have him home again. The day after Steve was admitted, I called my sister Joan in England to wish her a Happy New Year as I always do. After the usual chit-chat, I asked her how she was feeling, as she has been having some stomach problems since her visit here last October. She was pretty sure she was developing an ulcer, but a CT scan done just after Christmas showed that she has pancreatic cancer which has already spread to her liver and possibly her stomach. After the initial shock and many tears, I realized that I need to concentrate on how blessed I am to have been able to spend that special time with Joan and my other sister Pauline back in October before we knew about this; but all I want to do is jump on plane to be with her as she tries to cope with the prospect of only a few months left with her husband and children. I need to wait for her to decide when she wants me to visit, but I'm already wondering how on earth I will find the strength to leave her when it's time to return. I'm really sorry to be posting such depressing news at the start of a new year, but I can't just pretend that this is not happening, and at some point, as I mentioned in my newsletter, I will probably be closing the store for a couple of weeks to go over and see her. I'll keep you posted and would really appreciate any positive thoughts and/or prayers you are able to offer for Joan and her family.
I have two of the cards ready for our next class and will have photos of all three on here by tomorrow. I titled this post "Resolutions" because my main goal for 2012 was to have my card samples ready a week ahead of the scheduled class. It's strange how life has a habit of reminding us that we can plan as much as we like, but a single moment,(or phone call) can completely change our focus and make our plans seem so unimportant. Have a wonderful day and hug the ones you love as often as you can!