Santa Claus

Most people have seen this before but it is so good it is worth hearing again, it was in our paper this morning and  it made my day. First printed in the New York Times, 1897.

"Nobody sees Santa Claus but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see...there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, not even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart.

Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all the world there is nothing else real and abiding."

So from George F. Handel, in 1743:

Joy to the world! the Lord has come, Let earth receive her King; Let ev'ry heart---prepare Him room- and Heaven and nature sing---and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing"

We spent Christmas Even here at home with Cathy, she brought a fine crock pot dinner after work. We listened to Christmas music and remembered our grandmother Eve who was born on Christmas eve. Our parents moved  her to Hawaii with them on her 100th birthday. There she was interviewed by the local newspaper- she could still participate in something like that.

She told them that as a child in England, her family didn't pay much attention to her on her birthday so she pretended she was having tea with the Queen. What a different generation of children, or that's how  you develop the Scottish stiff upper lip.

On the health front I have been off the prednisone 14 days which was preventing vomiting. (I hate to even write that word) which is a symptom of the most common development following a related bone marrow transplant. So far, no problem. I'm going to my original oncologist every two weeks for blood work, so far everything is good on that. They are scheduling me for another bone marrow bx in Feb.  If that is clear then not again till July or Aug. Meanwhile I feel good, weak but my immunosuppresants will start to be decreased in a few weeks and that's supposed to be impacting my muscle strength a lot.

For some wierd reason I got a pulled muscle in my groin a month ago. It was very painful and put a stop to my walking outside, I've never has that before and have been told it can be a stubborn thing  that's hard to heal- it doesn't just go away.

I know my stamina is getting better, it is just so slow.

A very merry Christmas and happy new year to all of you and yours.

At about this time in 2006 I didn't know if I should buy a 2007 calendar, but here it is soon to be 2008, a lesson in what a waste of energy and time and emotions in fretting about the future.

Love to all, Margie