Mortality

There are days that one cannot help but think of your own mortality, and, that of others around you. I try to do whatever I can to help my husband manage his diabetes, knowing that we often only manage the symptoms, not the disease. I think of my mother, who does not often help herself, alone, facing the struggles of getting old, less mobile, and for her, worst of all, more dependent on others. Then there are those who create their own situations, purposely or not, but that is another topic for another time.
My neighbor, a really sweet woman I met through Bunco, has a challenge of another kind. Her husband is in need of a liver transplant, and they have gone through the tests to find a match for numerous live donors. Since the liver is the only organ that grows back, a donor can contribute part of a healthy liver. His wife was almost cleared for surgery when some weird blood anomaly surfaced. The latest tests were on his niece and she was a match. Surgery is scheduled for the end of May. But, at this very moment, the husband is hospitalized for some bleeding problems, prompting speculation that the surgery may have to be moved up for him to survive.
When I think of what they are going through, I know that I am petty being upset over anything insignificant. I am thankful for each and every day, the four cactus flowers we had this week and the huge rainbow tonight.