Recovery Time

Recovery time. It has been a very busy week and I have been exhausted. I really don't want to get sick again. So yesterday, I stopped. After Michael left in the morning, I climbed back into bed and slept another two hours. Around noon, I got up and dressed and had a bit of lunch.

I never stepped a foot outside. It was cool here. Cloudy and a high of 58 degrees. 

Having to stop to recover is probably the hardest thing I have had to learn while living with an ILD. Cancelling plans, frustrated that I can't do it all and bowing to the disease are still hard for me to do. I am still learning.

Photo of a Purple Heart. I have
Jerome's.

A moment regarding Memorial Day: My mom was a Gold Star family. It was hung on the window of their home for all to see. They had experienced a death in the family in WWII. Her brother Jerome was a navigator in a "Flying Fortress" and during a bombing run from Cambridge to Bremen, they had engine problems. He was not supposed to even be on that bombing run. They were sitting ducks. They crashed. Two men made their way back to England, two others became POWs and the remaining men died. Their bodies were never recovered. 

My grandmother searched for him until her death at the age of 57. My grandfather was not grieving properly, according to her and their marriage suffered. She was also so focus about the loss of her son that she forgot about the 13-year old girl who still needed a mom. 

Today, I think of Jerome and what a loss his death was to the world. He was a brilliant engineer, a published writer, published songwriter and pianist. I also think of all the families who are grieving the loss of a family member and maybe a 13-year old girl whose life will never be the same again.