Presumed Immunity

Easter Sunday, 2001, delivered an extra special blessing to me and my family, for that was the day my first grandbaby was born.  On this day, my daughter went into labor.  At approximately 11:30, we checked into the labor and delivery department of the hospital in which she'd chosen to have her baby.  Weeks before, she was told her baby was breech and she could expect to have a cesarean unless she was willing to allow them to do a special procedure called an external version to try to turn the baby.  I was totally against it and vocalized my opinion, but my daughter consented.  This procedure went as scheduled, but was unsuccessful.  No worries, though, because millions of people have had a cesarean to deliver their child.  What could possibly go wrong? The months of planning and preparing for the delivery day could not have prepared me...us...for what we would experience, for never did we expect our little bundle of joy would have a birth defect.  I, being the brave soldier that

Parenting is no easy task. That's a given.  Our children come into this world a unique individual and we just have to wing it.  They come with no model handbook detailing their personalities, their likes or dislikes, or that offers a solution to every problem that could arise. Here's the deal: You raise your children the best you know how and assume they'll grow up to have the same morals and values as you.  After all, you raised them, right?  At least that's how I was, but to my dismay, my children grew up having only 'some of my values' and many ideas and beliefs completely apart from what I'd tried to instill in them up until that point. My children did not grow up around drugs or that type of environment, but that is the path they chose.  One of the most difficult things a parent will ever do is watch their child destroy everything good in their life, abandon their dreams, forsake their own children, and chase after that which could end their life wit

It's been quite some time since my last post!  So much has gone on, but isn't that the way it is with life; whether health issues, family matters, job responsibilities, or daily distractions, it seems there's always something to interrupt our plan for the day!  Nevertheless, I've found my way back and, rest assured, this blog, "Presumed Immunity", is going to get quite real in the upcoming months!  Stay with me; you won't want to miss a single post!  It's not every day we're afforded the opportunity to read about 'real life' events with a positive twist.  The majority of the people we come in contact with on a daily basis sugar coat their life, entrusting you with only the things they want you to know; when, unbeknown to them, you were hoping to find a connection with which you could relate.  In the end, you're left feeling even worse than you did from the start, thinking you're all alone in this old world, for no one could pos

To blog or not to blog…that is the question.  There are countless blogs on fitness, recipes, crafts and DIY projects, but far and few between are the blogs that delve deep into the mind to offer cold, hard facts….cold, hard facts about life…life, in general. One of the beautiful things about life is our individuality.  Without diversity, this old world would be more than just humdrum. There is much beauty all around us, but often we fail to realize the beauty that lies within each of us.  Our own perception of life and all that ‘should’ be is all too often tainted by what we become conditioned to through the media and through this media we have grown delusional about things like body image, careers, parenting, and how we should behave, whom we should marry, and the definition of success.  As a result, when the storms of life rush in like a flood, we become overwhelmed, discouraged, depressed, and, in a sense, our own worst enemy.  Our pride stands in the way and we are unable to rec

Life is full of uncertainties, for nothing is guaranteed.   As a child, we don’t dream of marrying into an abusive relationship.   We don’t dream of someday having grandchildren with disabilities. We don’t dream of spending our lives having to struggle, only to find nothing is ever enough.   No, childhood dreams, for many of us, are what fairytales are made of. I remember the counselor asking if I thought I was a Princess that expected everything handed to me on a silver platter.   No, I didn’t think I was a Princess.   I simply had higher expectations; expectations of having peace, for once….   p eace from all the fights and arguments I had spent my entire childhood listening to, as well as expectations of happiness free from domestic turmoil and  f reedom from chaos, the drill sergeant, the smell of hash as it seeped through the vents into my room at night.   Was I wrong in believing that I had received an ill lot in life and deserved better?   I think not.   Yet, try as I might

Wouldn't it be nice if there were a vaccine that would ensure the storms of life would simply pass us by?  Sadly, I must say there isn't.  On the bright side, if you're reading this, chances are you have recently gone through one of the many storms in life and are in search of something or someone to help ease the pain; to offer some sort of comfort to help calm your fears, and make you feel less alone. You, my friend, have come to the right place, for that is precisely my reason behind this and forthcoming posts. I, personally, have spent countless hours searching for answers...in a poem, a song, in prayer.  Alas, the many search engines...only to find a few candid accounts for which I could actually relate. In life, many storms will come our way.  Some are no fault of our own.  Some, however, are a direct result of the choices we make.  We're told all of our lives there are consequences for every decision we make, but far too often we fail to consider what those