A Year Ago Today

Today is a day of reflection for me. A year ago today, my Dad suffered a major stroke. It's really hard to believe it has been a year and how things are so "normal" now. It was hardly normal a year ago when I got the call from my sister at 4 am, booked a flight for that morning to Omaha, and left my family here in Denver to be with my family in Sioux City.



In the hospital last year.



Hanging out in the ICU waiting room.

Fortunately, the entire ordeal had a happy ending and it really reinforced how wonderful my family truly is - both Karlen and Peavy. My mom and my sisters banding together with incredible strength to make sure my Dad was getting the best care. My Dad for fighting the incredible fight to get to where he is today. My husband and brother-in-laws for taking care of the home front during the entire ordeal - kids, dogs, jobs, school. My mother-in-law for coming to help with the kids during my absence. And aunts, cousins, and family friends supporting us along the way.



Christmas 2009

I always knew I was extremely lucky to have such a strong, loving, and amazing family and this experience made me even more thankful.

I called my mom this morning to "check in" on the two of them and she had been thinking about the significance of this day as well. Of course, when I talked to Dad, he hadn't a clue why I was calling. It's good to know things are back to normal. Normal never felt so good.