A humble holiday greeting...

..or, Walking With Pneumonia.

The last 2 weeks have been absolutely miserable for me, as I have been fighting off walking pneumonia. I haven't seen anyone other than my mom or my doctor since Dec. 14, when the sickness finally put me down for the count. Last week found me vomiting and strangling in my own mucus for the moments of consciousness I am able to recall, in addition to other horrors that are just plain best left to your imagination. Nothing makes you grateful for what you have like having to struggle to breathe, eat, or sit up. And if this did not serve as a reminder of how blessed I am, this year has seen a couple of my closer friends go away. Whit, my son Ben's stepfather, and the truest example of what a good Christian is supposed to be that I ever met, passed away in June, way too early, at 46. And one of my oldest friends betrayed me in an unforgivable manner in November. So this illness and the impermanence of life once again makes me want to say to you, my friends...

Thank you. For being part of my life. For being part of what drives me to continue drawing breath, and eating for that matter. I have said it many times before, even many times in this blog: my friends are my crowning glory, my saving grace. I know my own talent plays a part, but to put it simply: without you, I wouldn't be very much.

I hope this season brings you all of the peace humanity yearns for.