Well I told myself this morning I should get myself out of this winter rut and back into the real world. As everyone else in this great world we have had our share of illness and death in the short few months. I think we are all finally feeling better and on the right track to get on with the day.
I want to share with you my friends that I have 14 chapters written for my new book ( the sequel to ) A Hairdresser’s Diary. I am wracking my brain on what to use as a title but I know one day when I least expect it, it will come to me.
I would like to take this opportunity to share a chapter from this book with you. I hope you will find it interesting.
This is part of Chapter Seven.
Within eighteen months we took a newly built house with only dirt and mud for landscaping and transformed it into a showpiece with a golf course looking lawn with lovely trees and flowers. People would stop as they passed just to feel our grass. One couple asked if they could take their shoes off and walk on it. They could not believe it was real. Ron always cut the grass in both directions so it would be perfectly manicured. Now it was our turn to have others ask us for our advice on landscaping. This pleased Ron and it showed. It was during one of those lawn manicuring sessions that Ron’s life changed and changed forever. At the young age of thirty-five, he suffered severe chest pain. Shadows of his father’s death hung over him. Before the day was over, Ron had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Fear and uncertainty ruled his thoughts while he waited for hospital arrangements. He still recalls the day when we were all playing and laughing during his fearful wait and he was thinking to himself, “How can they play and laugh when I might die?”
My burning question was, “How could this strong, young man have heart problems?” As we had been with every other challenge that came our way, we were determined to beat this demon and to do it as a family. Our families and many of our friends offered their support. As a family we shed many tears and it was obvious we were all so terrified. The kids had no idea what was in store for their dad all we knew was this was a life threatening and risky disease. Ron and I tried to hide the worst from the kids but we could not protect them from what the future was to bring. Ron always felt his father was too secretive when it came to his health so he was adamant that his kids be fully informed. But we found they were amazingly strong and did whatever they could to make a terrible situation easier on us. We had no time for anyone or anything. Everything else in our lives were put on the back burner as we needed our strength and focus to deal with this ugly monster – heart disease. I must be honest the question that permeated my minds several times during this time was,” Had we gotten too cocky, comfortable or seem to be ungrateful now that things had been going smoothly for us? We had a perfectly manicured lawn but our lived were all but that. Had we as a family forgot how to share or give to others? I did not think so but was this a reminder to rethink? Was there a cost to being happy that I was not aware of? I was envious of those who’s lives seemed to run seamlessly smooth and who had no idea what pain either physical or mental was all about. I felt ashamed that I had these thoughts. I needed to shake off these feelings and get back to reality. I thanked God for giving me the strength to do what needed to be done and asked him to make me less selfish.
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Christine M. Hannon, Author, Artist, Poet and Entrepreneur 