Cherish every moment.

My students graduated!

"My neurologist last summer told me that I should have an MRI in the spring to see if the clot is gone.  It's March... when should we do this?"  I asked hopefully.

Smiling, my doctor replied, "I think as soon as possible."

It's already the end of March, and things are busy as ever at school.  We have transitioned into our new school year with five new teachers and, as usual, lots of changes.  With these changes, a lot of stress has piled onto the "senior" teachers (with harder schedules and more responsibility), and we are struggling to get all of our work done, to stay healthy, and to maintain sanity.

However, there may be one good change in the works.  Next week, I take what I hope to be my final MRI.  In my last meeting with my neurologist, I told him I felt ready to check the status of the clot in my brain.  If the results come back clear, I will at long last be taken off anticoagulants.  I'm looking forward to returning to "normal".  I understand that I can never go back to the way things were before I got sick.  There are certain things that I will never be able to do anymore since I will always be at some risk for hemorrhage.  Nevertheless, since my recovery has been so swift and so phenomenal, I feel like I will finally be able to put some of last summer to rest when I'm off my medication.

I have learned a lot about myself and about my relationship with Ben since last June.  I'm a lot stronger-- we are a lot stronger-- than I thought.  I am capable of enduring great pain.  I am an optimist.  I know when something is wrong with myself.  I am lucky.  I'm so very lucky, so very blessed.  Ben and I know how close we were to being parted, and we will never forget how easily life can be taken away from you or from those you love.

So the stressors and annoyances at school and everyday nonsense notwithstanding, life is good.

Cherish every moment.