Happy Birthday

Today is my brother's 61st birthday. My little brother, who is so much taller than I am. UPS notified me that he received his batch of birthday baklava last evening. He once told me that I was famous at his work because of my non-traditional baklava. People were begging for more! He and his Betty are going to take their camper and visit some casinos north of them in New Mexico in celebration of his birthday. Hope he is a winner! I plan to call him before I leave to spend the day with mom.

I remember when he was born in our little town north of Chicago because dad had Lee and me walk to the back of the hospital in the snow. Mom was waiting to wave at us through the hospital window and showed us our new brother in his bassinet. I was three-years old. Mom always smiles when she says that he had three mothers. Poor kid! He has had an exceptional life, which I blogged about HERE and HERE. Since these blogs, he returned to teaching at the university last semester but swears he will never teach there again. His brain won't stop and he is currently working on a paper to discredit some research that he found was based on faulty data. It is still all Greek to me! He is now officially retired.

Yesterday, I sent our son his birthday card. It will be waiting for him as he flies home from Scotland on his birthday. After other errands, we arrived to the rehab class in time to say our goodbyes to Louise, the founder of the pulmonary rehab program. We were able to talk and I expressed my concern that since she was such a fighter for the program, once gone, there were going to be changes from the administration. It was already beginning. There is now a six month wait to get into the program. They have decided not to support two separate classes and have reverted to one 8-week class of eight people. It is going to take a long time to get to people who really need the program. Insurance and Medicare pay for this 8-week program so she did not understand why they would not support another set of classes, as there was certainly a demand for it.

The suits are beginning to take over the program. We will see what their plans are very soon. Since the maintenance part of the program is not covered by any insurance, I expect their $15.00/class rate is going to greatly increase. They just don't understand that it is not only about the exercise and education but it is more about the social and emotional support. A kinship. People who understand.

It is going to be an interesting year.