Happy Anniversary

“So what can I tell you?

If life's the length of this play,

Perhaps God gave the answers…

To those with nothing to say

But then the years are forgiving,

If God's forgiving in kind;

Perhaps we'll all find our answers somewhere in time.

I've been changing,

Redefining,

All the things I thought I knew…

So long ago,

When I was flying,

Through those years that seem so far away.

In the back of a reason,

In the back of my mind;

Where I've piled up the seasons,

That I've traded for times.”
--Jon Olivia of Savatage from the song Somewhere In Time, from the album Streets, 1991.

Some people remember anniversaries of positive things; while others remember tragedies. Some folks celebrate on anniversaries, some honor, some mourn, and some avoid the occasions altogether.

Today is the anniversary of having a stroke. It was one year ago when I sat with Uncle Dan at Medici’s, drank one beer, started slurring, lost control of my left arm, was told to lay down, was rushed to the hospital, was given a progressive procedure that went through my femoral artery through my heart and into the brain with a vacuum on the tip which sucked the 100cc clot out of my brain, made jokes with Jen and my sister Karen when checking into ICU, and began to recover.

Honestly, if a procedure or medical mishap could be a blessing, this was it. It sobered me up, it forced a healthier lifestyle, it gave me an appreciation for those around me, and it strengthened me spiritually and emotionally.

It could have gone worse.

I could have died or been left debilitated. When I originally whined “why me?” in a selfish way, I later asked the question a more philosophical way; I pondered why was I left basically unscathed with minimal residual affects? Why me? I have seen others and trust me, as far as stroke patients go, my story is absolutely miraculous.

So today, I was fairly cautious, as the anniversary is a bit of a reminder of my fear. I went past my principal and assistant principal at work and remarked that it was my anniversary of a rebirth. The principal asked if I was going to go and celebrate. The idea never popped into my head to celebrate the event. “No,” I said, “I don’t like the reminder of what could have been.”
The assistant principal, a former department member of mine, remarked that it was “better” that I remembered the date and what could have been than if someone else had to be reminded of a tragedy.

That was incredible advice.

I mean it made a huge difference in my viewpoint, for which I thanked him. He’s right. I would rather be reminded or deal with my own fears than have Jen or my family spends the day remembering that I passed away.

His words lifted my spirit and we all know that our spirit carries us sometimes.

Since this is a Wednesday, and as any fan of Big Bang theory knows, Wednesday is the day new comic books come in, I went to pick up my books. I then reflected, knowing my uncle was across the street at Medici partaking in our once usual ritual of quaffing ale. I decided to stop in, thank him, remind him of the date, let him know I loved him, and was served a frothy root beer from my favorite bartender, who also worked the night of the stroke, Chuck.

Chuck had Angie hand it to me as to not jinx the moment.

Happy anniversary to all who helped me that day and supported me then and still continue to do so.

The weekend of April 17th, 2010

“Got to get back to a reason;
Got to get back to a reason I once knew,
And this late in the seasons;
One by one distractions fade from view,
The only reason I have left...
Is you.”
--Savatage from the song “Got to Get Back To A Reason” from the album Poets and Madman, 2001.

Jen and I had a fun weekend. We decided to head to a Bed and breakfast in Galena to celebrate Ulysses S. Grant’s birthday. Galena is a very open and beautiful place. Rolling hills are mixed with lovely river country. The mansions are plentiful and intact and make nice Bed and Breakfast Inns. We stayed at the Virginia House that was originally owned by the Estey family. The senior Mr. Estey was a banker who made a fortune in the Lead Mines that dot the area. Grant often stayed at his house after serving as a General and a President in his retiring years when he came back to Galena.

In fact, our Innkeeper Rita told us, that Grant annoyed Mrs. Estey because he had a cigar habit of smoking 40 to 60 cigars daily. This ugly habit was a remnant of the Civil War, his cigar smell masked the wretched odor of death that was so prevalent wherever he ventured. As a result, Grant died of throat cancer. The smoking room in the Mansion had a fireplace with a build in vent to help fumigate the cigars’ stench. He also had a private room in the Mansion and Rita told us that he stayed there more often than he did at his family’s home, as the Mansion was far more elegant. History can be so cool.

Jen and I walked for miles as we shopped and busied ourselves with various attractions. We saw the famous Grant accepting Lee’s surrender at Appomattox painting at the Mini-Museum. We also went into The Great American Popcorn Company and sampled various flavors, settling on four (buy three, get one free) take-home bags of Zesty Ranch, Molasses, Galena Mix of Carmel and Cheddar and the Chicago Mix of Cheddar, Carmel and Butter (that one staying at Jen’s house when I come over).

We found a great Sport s memorabilia shop where I bought a Patrick Kane Black Blackhawk authentic jersey for 50.00 (normally, a good $150.00). They had Bear Jerseys there with the raised letters and numbers, and I was going to get one of Johnny Knox for Jen and a Briggs one for me, but they had neither player. They had lots of Julius Peppers, Robbie Gould, and Jay Cutler ones, but I was not as interested, unlike the very cool black Blackhawk Jersey. The store owner told me that he bought them wholesale and he could sell them at a reduced rate.

We also found an antique book store that had a book on the history of the Illinois Farm Bureau, which featured a nice full page photograph of Jen’s great-Uncle, who was a president of the organization, and mentioned her Grandfathers (both sides, I believe) and her father. This was very cool. I bought a book of Essays on the History of Illinois to use for my Illinois Studies class. It was edited by renowned EIU Illinois History Professor Donald Tingley, a true expert of the history of the state. I also found a great edition of John Cottrell’s Anatomy of an Assassin: The Murder of Abraham Lincoln. I could have spent hours in that store.

We ended up at the Galena Winery and sampled some wine. Jen is much more of a wine expert than I could ever hope to be. We bought a book when I was still drinking called She said “Wine,” When He said “Beer.” We both liked the Oktoberfest and we bought a bottle to share. I like sweet wines like Riesling and that kind of stuff. She also bought herself a Cranberry wine.

We also had some very solid and interesting food. We had a fun lunch at Victory’s Café and a delicious Pizza at Canova’s Italian food.

The Bed and Breakfast food was OK, as the sausage and fruit was good, the breakfast burrito left a bit to be desired for my taste. We also had some Ice Cream made in an old-fashioned Ice Cream Parlor. I chose Cinnamon, while Jen chose her usual, Mint Chocolate Chip.

Now back to the lower carbs after the weekend, well that is as soon as I finish the popcorn. I just love flavored Popcorn. I will work on it and nosh just a bit a day.

The absolute best part of the weekend was that we spent it together, no phones, no TV (the TV in our room did not work, and Rita offered to change rooms—but we had made a deal to not watch it anyway), no newspapers, no computers, and no internet. We missed none of the above, as we were too busy loving each other and relaxing. Jen is good for me, as she had me agree to drive the scenic "River Road" home for a leg of our journey, so we could enjoy the view of a part of the state we had never seen. It was both relaxing and fun, and the way I drive, even a bit dangerous.

I also believe I am good for Jen, as I played Savatage in the car and she actually hummed along and enjoyed it (which is not a stretch too much because this band emerged to become one of her all-time favorites, Trans Siberian Orchestra.

We relaxed and recommitted our love for each other. It was a special weekend at a time we could have both used a stress release.