Maybe there is light at the end of this tunnel. My uncle went into surgery this afternoon around 12:30 finally. They were concerned about it, but went ahead with it anyhow because of the severity of the symptoms. They couldn't wait any longer without dire consequences.

He came through it. 🙂 His brain had actually accumulated so much blood from the bleed that it has pressed against the other side of his skull. There was apparently a lot of it, but they got it all out.

I just found out that he's awake off and on, and he knows where he is and who he is and what's happening for the most part. That's a great sign. He's got a horrible headache still, but that will get better as time passes. He'll be going home in about 4 days as long as there are no complications…please don't let there be any complications!

While I'm somewhat relieved I'm wary and now I've allowed Pandora's box to be opened regarding my stepdad's death. The memories just keep coming, and a lot of it has to do with the time of year… although he passed shortly after Thanksgiving. I remember watching them change the decorations between Thanksgiving into Christmas in the ICU trying to make it more cheerful.

I guess since I'm having to face these memories again it means that I haven'treally dealt with his death completely. And as much as I don't want to do it, I know that I have to face them to get past them. They are memories, not the reality of now. It's hard to believe he's been gone 6 years. It doesn't seem that long ago. But if I don't face these nightmarish memories now I will just have to confront them again down the road ~ so I'd rather deal with it and get it over with.

On a brighter note ~ Zachary and I did some more halloween decorating today. We went outside and finished our scarecrow (which he decided to turn into the Blue Power Ranger, lol) and hung up some more decorations little by little. He got really excited because we went grocery shopping today for fruits/veggiesand they had some really neat gourds that were all different colors~ and I let him pick one out. He wants SO badly to do a Jack-o-lantern right now, but with the humidity and heat here they only last a few days at best. So I'm waiting until next week to buy 2 pumkins (so that there will still be some good choices left for different shapes and sizes) and then we'll carve them a few days before Halloween.

It's been an overall good day. I've had more energy than usual, so I got quite a bit done. That always feels good. And it looks like Mom WILL be going on vacation after all; I'm taking her to the airport on Wednesday. 🙂 It will be good for all of us.

I want to thank you all for your prayers, positive thoughts and kindnesses in response to this scary time. It means so much to me to have people who care enough about me to take the time to see what's happening in my life and be supportive and caring. I can only hope that I do the same for you all. I really try to.

Oh, and things are going much better between my husband and I the last few days. Communication is SO important and sometimes we forget that in order to really hear each other's needs we have to communicate in a way that's calm, respectful and responsible for our own feelings. Yelling or being sarcastic doesn't count as positive communication… it just leads to more yelling and anger.

I'm getting tired, so I'm going to say goodnight. Love to you all, and I hope tomorrow is beautiful for you.

~Key