Seasons of Change, some are good, some not so much. We all have many changes as we grow up and age. I am seeing more and more as I age. I look for the beauty of all and look back over my life and wonder how I got where I am from where I was.
FALL LEAVES ARE A SIGN OF CHANGE
Fall is probably my favorite time of the year. The weather for one starts to cool. In Oklahoma we are way past ready for that. Then we start to notice the change in the color of the leaves. Many people go on drives just to look at the change.
This is a rugged trail called K-Trail in Oklahoma. One of the many things my husband and I like to do is go on rides exploring places we’ve never been. You will see a little color change on some of the trees, it was just beginning.
Another thing that seems to change is the smells, we add in spicy candles and we start cooking delicious stews, soups and baking breads. Out side it is starting to get a damp smell. Early November we have our first freeze and now we are wearing jackets.
ONE MAJOR SEASON OF CHANGE FOR US
In the Fall of 2022 we found out my husband had a brain tumor and it had to be removed. He had been getting dizzy and off balance and his vision was bothering him. With all the doctor appointments and all the test the surgery was scheduled for January 27, 2023 we were ready to get away for a while.
WHERE WE DECIDED TO GO
We decided to take a trip to Estes Park, Co. In the middle of October of 2022, be wanted to relax and we didn’t really know what lay ahead of us. Bill didn’t have cancer so we didn’t have that to worry about, but he was getting a little worse each day with dizzy spells. Sometimes he would nearly fall down.
Colorado is one of our favorite places to visit. We love the Rocky Mountains and Estes Park is right at there at the beginning of the Park. We were looking for the changing of the aspen trees. I wanted to see elk really bad. We drove around the National Park for 2 days and didn’t see any wildlife roaming around. The views were beautiful and we have picnics along the way.
Big Surprise!
We arrived in Estes Park to find our motel and look around the town. It is such a cute town The first thing I noticed was a caramel apple place and They have wonderful caramel apples! There were so many selections of apples to choose from. Well the big surprise was all the ELK we saw, Everywhere! We were eating one evening at a golf course resort and on the way we saw elk everywhere we looked. We had fun just watching the elk roaming around, some were still in rut and chasing after a elk cow. Some were bugling.
CHECK OUT THE PICTURE BELOW
There Were so many elk everywhere. They come down from the Mountains in the winter and eat the grass at the golf course. We estimate we saw over 300 at one point.
ELKS CHANGING SEASON
As with all living things, The Season is Changing for them as they migrate to town and wait out the winter. It was a wonderful time, just two day later the road closed to the Park because of Winter snow storms. We will be going back it was so much fun. These are such wonderful memories always. We had a lot on our minds with The Holidays coming and the Surgery in the future we needed it. I didn’t really know what to expect from this point on.
JUST WITH THE CHANGING OF SEASONS, WE HAVE SEASONS OF CHANGE IN OUR LIVES
I call the changes in our lives Seasons. I learned this lesson many years ago when people would come into your life and you would become so close to them. Before you know it they move away and never communicate with you. I always looked at it like a season.
SURGERY DAY AND BEYOND THE NEXT SEASON OF CHANGE
Lots of prayer and encouragement from others really helped on that day. I was prepared, I seen to always need to be the strong one for the others. An eight hour surgery turned into a seventeen hour surgery!! This of course had my children nervous and my Mother in Law getting really upset. We got word everything was going alright just a little trickier that expected the tumor was connected to his brain stem and it is a very hard surgery. In the picture below is the place of the surgery:
WOW! It is amazing to me that a surgeon can do all the things needed to keep Bill alive. It was surgery or other really bad possibilities. The outcome would not be good without it. It has healed over and hair grown back you really don’t notice it.
There were many changes, I’m sure I’ll never know all he was thing during all this. I know he was not happy to be in rehab, he want to be home, but he had to do what was necessary.
SIDE EFFECTS
Yes we did have side effects we didn’t see coming. He could not walk. It was kind of like he had a stroke. His face sagged, his eye drooped. His Left Leg didn’t want to move. He went to rehab for about 25 days. We had some in home care and that helped. He walks fine now , His left eye doesn’t close all the way, but it is getting better and he still has some dizziness, he actually is in worse shape than before the surgery, but he would have probably died or some other complications.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Needless to say this has been a season that has brought a lot of changes. It has pushed us to make big life changes and we are still in the process of figuring out our new! It has been 10 months since the surgery and 1 year since our trip to the Mountains. We still love life.
NEVER GIVE UP
Yes Life is hard at times, but my faith in God has always pulled us through. We don’t say Why Me, we just ask now what is the next step. We do ask God for Wisdom in how to proceed. Our doctors say we still have time to heal more. This type of surgery takes it. I’m looking forward to Spring when all things are fresh and new. I am looking for our next Season of Change.
One Thing I am so grateful for is the doctors that actually go to school to learn how to do this type of surgery and any doctor who dedicates himself to education. Our doctor will always be special to us. Imagine a doctor studying in New York and moves to our great state of Oklahoma. OU Medical Rocks! We had such great care there and We still have great follow-up appointments. Thank You!!!
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