Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!!!

I have one loyal reader of my blog that I know of. My dad. Today is his birthday. My reason for writing this is that none of this could be possible without this man. Not only is he my dad, he gave me life and all that good stuff.... He has always been my biggest support. He sat me down in the dinning room and said, "you have to go back to nursing school." He convinced me that at 30, I was not too old. He told me I had a gift. That I was meant to be a nurse. I reminded him that I had two kids to take care of. He promised that him and my mom would help out financially as much as they could. They did. A lot.

My mom and dad never finished college. Yet they instilled in me everything I needed to get through it. Work ethic. Professionalism. Integrity. The grit to not quit no matter what. They taught me to persevere despite hard times. College doesn't teach that. For me quitting was never an option. My dad always let me know he was praying for me and knew I could do it. The truth is, I could not have done it without him. He was my rock. If it wasn't for him. I truly believe I would not be a nurse today. One of my most proudest accomplishments.

Thanks Dad. Happy Birthday.

I love you.

Champagne Punch......

Is champagne only for black tie affairs? So many times we only bring out the bubbly for those special occasions. Weddings. Anniversaries. Romantic dinners. What about a hot, humid, sticky, June day? A day spent in the yard with friends, children running underfoot wearing only diapers and sticky faces. A day where a summer thunderstorm cools off the day for only a few short minutes.

I recently went to a get together with a friend. We spent the day eating good food, hanging out with good people. Some played croquet. Others sat lazily in the summer heat, talking about nothing.

And some made champagne punch.

It was the perfect summer drink. Made with pink lemonade, a bottle of champagne, chunks of pineapple, and strawberries floating about. We drank every drop. I remember thinking it was odd to be drinking champagne on a lazy, summertime Sunday. I had only toasted the stuff on special occasions. Later, I thought more about it. Why can't a great day with friends be a "special occasion?" What is wrong when we don't hold those days with the ones we love, chasing balls across the lawn as special? Aren't these the times that really matter? These are the days that we truly remember. The ones we think about when we fall asleep at night. Weddings, Anniversaries, romantic dinners are few and far between. They happen a few times a year. Days spent with the ones we love happen everyday. Celebrate them. They are the times that really matter. The ones we should drink champagne punch for! We shouldn't stop there.....

Bring out the good dishes. Use the silver. Serve kool-aid in the fancy goblets. Dance with the one you love, barefoot in the grass. It may be the last time you dance with them. Don't wait for a dance floor. Make your own. Dance to the crickets and the frogs. Find that fancy dress in the very back of the closet. The one that you save for weddings, anniversaries, romantic dinners.

I have a new patient. Last week he was working a part time job. Enjoying life.He thought he was healthy. They told him last week he had two weeks to live. This week he became a hospice patient.

I wonder when was the last time he drank champagne punch?