It’s a gorgeous 62 degree February afternoon. Still a month til spring officially arrives, I see signs of her everywhere. Robins, blue birds, and cardinals pluck at the seeds I have strewn for them. The trees sing with the birds too. I find for the first time this year tiny red buds on the Japanese cherry tree. My heart is filled with the joy of an early spring in Atlanta.

I’m exercising in my outdoor gym. I stop to stretch my legs as I push against the stacked concrete blocks that act as a retaining wall along the back driveway. I pick up sticks and throw them into the wood piles to warm up my shoulders. I walk down the long driveways and sidewalks, taking stairs everywhere I can. I wander off the concrete and pretend I am meandering through Pooh’s 100 acre woods. I stop at our little pond and thank God for spring, health, and family.

I ushered in 2021 during a 10-day hospitalization with COVID-19 pneumonia. I’ve never been so ill. It was my first hospitalization ever. I was fortunate in that while I was on supplemental oxygen for the entire 10 days, I wasn’t on a ventilator. I prayed a lot and God answered my prayers. I have recovered very well. As I walk I get a little short of breath, but walking is what the doctor ordered.

My mother reached her 90th birthday last week. Lord willing, I will live as long and as healthy as she has. Our family will come together in Texas this summer to celebrate her special birthday; we’ll all have our vaccinations by then.

In 2020, my husband had spinal fusion surgery in June, and double bypass surgery in November. While it was a stressful time, his health has improved tremendously. He can walk! He’s lost 50 lbs. His repaired heart has extended his life expectancy. He feels much better and has more energy. He sleeps like a baby; something he’s never done, since perhaps he was a baby. How he avoided getting COVID from me is nothing short of a miracle. I was home sick as a dog for 10 days prior to being admitted to the hospital. I just didn’t consider that I had gotten the virus.

With all the health issues we faced in 2020, we are among the fortunate. We recovered from it all. 500,000 have died from COVID-19. Over 600,000 died from heart disease last year. We know we are blessed.

No complaints here. Life is good; God is great. The joy of an early spring makes it all the sweeter.

dmzh