Updates

Christmas has come and gone but the spirit of Christmas still permeates the air. I was scheduled to fly over the holidays which I was TOTALLY OK with because I worked it out to be home on the 26th for three days. As someone who has been in the airline industry for many many years, working on Christmas had become the norm. But boy, this year things changed in an instant...

As mentioned in my previous post, I was injured on the 16th of December while working a flight. This resulted in several doctors appointments and so far, three physical therapy sessions. While it was very nice to be home for Christmas, it was very different to say the least. I've decided that a back injury is different from any other kind of injury. I've never experienced pain like this before. One moment I feel fine, the next moment I have a searing, burning pain that shoots up and down my back, absolutely leveling me for at least an hour. I am happy to report that physical therapy has made a HUGE difference in the way I feel. The first doctor tht I saw in San Francisco gave me ibuprofen 600 and told me to come back in a week. Fortunately, I didn't wait a week but instead, as soon as I got back to Utah, went to my own doctor who had the foresight to send me to PT. I am doing much better and hope to get back to work this weekend...but it's up to my doc.

Christmas was very nice. It was difficult without my daddy and his absence was truly felt, but I have a wonderful family and it was great to be with them. I love them all. We didn't see all of our family members and they were missed. I'm glad to have the "Firsts" almost over with...my dad's first birthday, first Thanksgiving and now the first Christmas. Someone said that the only anecdote for pain is never having loved. As painful as it is to lose a loved one, how very thankful I am to feel the pain of loss...

I am looking forward to the new year, as I always do. It's always good to feel like I have a clean slate. I'm still thinking about my "word" for 2012...there are a few that I am tossing around. More about that later...

2011 has been a strange year. It has been good but not without it's challenges. Maybe that's just how life is. Maybe that's a good thing.

So that's it. Life is strange, but it's good and it's worth it. Challenges come and go. I'm trying to learn patience and endurance. A great man once said, "I'm grateful for the challenges I've not yet received." (Hugh B. Brown) I wish I could feel the same way.