It's a great day on planet Earth!

I Was reflecting on this time 6 years ago when  may beautiful daughter Sarah Louise was planning her great escape from the stroke ward of Grantham hospital.

A challenging yet life affirming experience when you consider the statistics for someone with a congenital heart defect (hole in the heart between the bottom chambers) develops bacterial endocarditis:

Death rate of about 50 percent. Among patients who survive the infection, approximately half will have a stroke due to the damage from the aggressive infection of the heart valves.
Thankfully 6 years on she's here to tell the tale and for some reason, as a mother elective heart surgery a year later seemed even more scary ( God only knows why).

I recall the lead up to her emergency admission to hospital with absolute horror in hindsight. At the time I guess you just get on with what's happening. It was a long 3 months whilst she remained on the stroke ward and although some of those days were very challenging, there are some heart moving moments of joy to be remembered too.

Such as her dressing up and making the whole ward laugh, the singing nurse who was previously a postman (clearly still singing his way through his rounds).

The husband and wife who had their beds wheeled together as they both finished up on the same male and female stroke wards at the same time.

The 21st party of the son of one of the other ladies on the ward, with pizza and cake in the nurses rest room.

The little old chap with dementia who was always waiting for the bus at the end of Sarah's ward and the kindness she and others showed to him.

The little old lady that Sarah sat up with all night so she wouldn't be alone in her final hours until her family could make it to say there final goodbyes.

The list could go on and on....

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill

Whilst it was a testing time for a young woman to go through, I believe it has made Sarah the kind, loving woman she is today.

She is a blessing and an inspiration to me every day. She is smart, funny, beautiful and quirky
(I have no idea where she gets that from???)

She has grown into a wonderful woman who is also my best friend. There isn't a day goes by when we don't speak on the phone. And we never miss a moment to say how much we love one another.

Things could have been so very different.

I posted on facebook yesterday my thoughts about "kindness day" and thought it worth mentioning here too:

Always be kind, it costs nothing.
You never know what someone is going through in their life.
Share a smile , you never know what joy it may bring to another.
When times are tough, be even kinder .... what you put out to the world comes back to you.
You never know what will happen tomorrow so be always be kind today.

Even on  the most difficult of day's it's a stark reminder that whilst ever the world is still turning and nobody died .... its a great day on planet earth!

Until next time,
make every moment count,
Lisa xx

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