Journal of a Living Lady #211
Nancy White Kelly
The holidays have begun. We are going to Charlie’s in-laws
in
I can’t help but remember Thanksgiving three years ago. I had been released from the hospital the previous day. I was in the midst of one of the lowest points in my cancer battle. My youngest brother and sister came, privately thinking I might not make it to Christmas. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at a nice restaurant since cooking was out of the question. The weather was dreary. Buddy pushed my wheel chair and toted my oxygen. The Thanksgiving meal was a three-hour ordeal. The food was good, but service was practically non-existent. Understaffed is the word for it. Expensive too. That is past. I hereby delete it from my memory bank.
Today is different. While the cancer is not in remission, I am stable. There have been temporary set-backs and I am still in monthly chemotherapy. The treatments have slowed the cancer down.
I feel alive. Brighter. Lighter. Through quirky
circumstances, I have re-discovered chiropractic therapy. Lately I have been
able to get up and down without excruciating pain. Who knows? Maybe someday I
can play tennis again. Well, I can dream. Some of you might not know I enjoyed
a stint of umpiring professional tennis back in the tennis heydays of the 70’s.
Maybe the names,
Make time for fun or life will be dreadfully boring. I plan some mischievousness this Thanksgiving. When everybody has a turn at the table expressing what they are thankful for, I am going to pronounce ruefully: “I am thankful that I didn’t get caught.” Then I will absolutely refuse to say anymore.
And my coup de grace? After the last bite of food has digested and we are going out the door, I will mockingly whisper some final words to our hostess who is a good sport herself: “Told ya, Ellen, nobody would notice that the turkey was past the expiration date. You were worried for nothing.”
Maybe I feel too good.
nancyk@alltel.net
