"Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself"....

I grew up in a loving and nurturing family. Aside from life I think that is one of the greatest gifts a child can be given by parents. I've come to realize, with sadness, that this gift is not a birthright....that it is much more rare than I ever could have imagined. I know better now.

I think almost everyone who knows me is aware that I am the oldest of eleven children. With that many nestlings vying for the"worm" from an overworked mother, I can understand the urge to run away that may have welled up in my mother's soul....but she knew how to handle the pressure.......She had a few quips:

"Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself!!"......or....."Don't take yourself so seriously!!".....or...."Here, help me fold clothes!!!".........or, more bluntly......"Stop your whining!!"

I, at least, took these pearls of wisdom to heart. They have been of immense help in the last several weeks in coping with the emotions and the realities of heart surgery and the first few weeks of recuperation. Not that I
haven't stepped onto the slippery slopes of self-pity, but they have certainly been a "red-alert" warning system when I am tempted to step over the edge of that pit of pity.

Recuperation is the hardest part of this journey. Progress is measured in "inches"...The movie, " Any
Given Sunday" features an inspirational speech about the "inches" in life....Look it up on YouTube...
I think it will resonate.

I am constantly reminded of the physical limitations I have. Thank God they are temporary and will fade away as I grow stronger and I heal. Really!!....not to be able to remove the screw-top lid of a Perrier is humbling.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the gifts. I promise not to whine.

Stephen