December 2025 was a December to Remember for me. To start with
December 21 was the 8th anniversary of my wife Mary’s death. That occurred during an 8 day stay in the hospital over the Christmas holiday with 4 cracked ribs, internal bleeding and about one half liter of fluid on my lungs which was drained. Doesn’t sound like much fun does it.

However, the Bible tells us that “ all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Romans 8:28) and as the Apostle Paul said” Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” (and I am still learning how to do this. When I think about it I am thankful that Mary was not here to experience the Covid 19 pandemic.

And believe it or not, I am grateful for my hospital stay because as Friedrich Nietzsche said,” That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” That’s one reason to be grateful. And beyond that I will be a better care provider as a result of this experience. As long as I can remember I have been a care provider; first for our daughter while she was growing up, and later for my wife Mary as she struggled with a number of health problems. And I have made hospital visits to cheer up and pray for a number of people as a Deacon of my church.

I have had 4 surgeries to remove cancers from my body and have now been a widower for 8 years. I am a member of a cancer support group and also a member of a widower’s support group. All of us in those groups feel comfortable in sharing what we are experiencing because we understand as we have or still are experiencing those same things. And now I have more experiences so that I can empathize with others who are undergoing some of those same types of hospital experience. Those are the reasons I can be grateful for the things I have experienced in my life.

By the way, I was released from the hospital in time for surgery to remove a melanoma on my left cheek on January 8th. It was a day surgery for which I checked in for at 7:30 a.m. and was home by around noon. The surgeon prescribed Tramadol for pain, but believe it or not, I have absolutely no pain from the surgery, although I now will have a scar that looks like the aftermath of a sword fight with Zorro. The only pain I have 5 weeks after I cracked 4 ribs is just a mild ache which I manage with over-the-counter Ibuprofen.

So, all in all, I have a lot of things to be grateful for starting out the new year.