11.29.2008

my mother cont'd




the first picture taken of my mother and i was taken shortly after i was born, right before she was wheeled into the operating room for major surgery. in that photo, my mother had a beautiful head of thick brown, shiny hair. the next photo to be taken of me and my mother is months later. she is wearing a scarf to cover her shaven head.

i don't know why this image has been in my mind so much these past few days. it is one of those things that as my mind wanders, my thoughts drift to my sweet momma, laying in a hospital bed hundreds of miles away, keeps coming forth into my thoughts.

i'll start at the beginning.

33 years ago, almost exactly, my mother was pregnant with little old me. she was fixing dinner for my two older sisters and just didn't feel right. she went to lay down on the couch because she felt really bad. as the story goes, she was taken to the hospital where they discovered that she was suffering from a brain aneurysm. the doctors weren't certain what the extent of the damage was on her or me, but they knew they needed to operate immediately. they also knew that they couldn't perform brain surgery on a pregnant woman. i was birthed in a hurry, in an effort to save her life. once stable from childbirth, she was taken into surgery to remove the aneurysm. months passed, several surgeries took place and somehow months later, this stubborn and very determined woman returned home to her family. and while her body was very altered physically, she persevered and defied the odds. with much therapy, she walked with the assistance of a cane, in spite of her physical paralysis in her left arm and leg. and aside from some minor short-term memory issues, she regained full mental health.

this is the first miracle that i witnessed in my life.

faith for me has always hinged on that miracle. from the first day of my existence, God proved to be faithful. he saved me, he saved my mother. he made the impossible possible.

on thanksgiving night, my mother, visiting her sister in richmond, decided to take a walk. walking and praying are one of my mothers favorite things. she walks each morning and talks to her friend, Jesus. he is her lifeline. and so as i picture her walking that early evening, i know she was not alone, but rather deep in conversation with her father above. suddenly she was struck by a vehicle, knocking her to the ground. she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. the details of that ride, those first moments at the hospital, the initial prognosis, i do not know. i just know that things were pretty grim. her brain was bleeding, her body badly bruised- you see she sustained major impact on her usable body parts. the doctors anticipated having to go in surgically to relieve the pressure on her brain from where the blood was pooling.

in the middle of the night, my sister stacy arrived at her bedside. my mom was in a rough state and things did not look good. we would wait until morning for the next ct scan to see how the bleeding was going. but from my sisters description, things didn't sound very optimistic and it appeared that my mom's memory was altered.

hours passes as my sister and her husband prayed with her, stroked her pale cheeks and massaged her legs. morning came and the doctors came by to do their rounds. another ct scan was given. and while the scan didn't look good, her body, her physical progress spoke hope to them. you see, while the scan didn't show much change from the night before and suggested that surgery might still be necessary, her speech, her increased memory, her coloring, her vitals all indicated that she was making tremendous progress. one doctor even commented that the scan and the patient didn't match. he was amazed at her progress. there isn't much explanation, unless you believe in miracles.
and so today, 24 hours post accident, i stand in that miracle. she is alive. she is showing some progress. the road ahead looks like it will be long, but i know that she, my sisters, and i won't have to walk it alone. i know that the same God that brought her out from under the cloud of a brain aneurysm will walk with us through this too.





11.28.2008

my mother

http://musesandmudderings.blogspot.com/2008/11/life-changes-in-heartbeat.html

i can't really find the words, but the blog above tells the unfortunate story. pray. my sweet momma needs to be surrounded by angels right now. i am certain that she is.

11.05.2008

a new era

i swore when barack obama won the democratic nomination that i would not let emotion sway my voting. i was determined that i wanted to cast a vote for the most qualified man, the one that would be best equipped at handling the problems that we face today. and so i went through this entire election period totally oblivious to the fact that an african-american was running. really. i know that is hard to believe, but having the wrong black man in office could do more damage than having one at all and i wanted to consider the entire package.

and so last night, as i was watching the media coverage of grant park, it suddenly hit me. tears were falling freely down jesse jacksons face. he has fought his entire life for this moment. as obama gave his speech, it became even more profound for me... this is a culmination of years of blood sweat and tears for so many in our nation.

my mind began to drift to my former students. i can only imagine the possibility that their eyes will now see. for my black, inner-city chicago students, this is a role model that they can tangibly experience. he demonstrates the opportunity that can go hand in hand with working hard. for my immigrant students in atlanta, he epitomizes the hope that brought them from their native land to this land of opportunity. it is amazing!

and so regardless of how you voted, i hope you, like myself, see that the audacity of hope is a powerful thing. something that will positively change the eyes of our young and the potential that lies before them.

my mind also wandered to my dear friend camia. back in june, camia appealed to the board of education for an opportunity to take some of her students to washington, d.c. for the presidential inauguration. twenty four african-american students from her school will travel with her to see barack obama be sworn in as president. i can only imagine how this will effect them and transform their lives. and for that transformation, for that opportunity, i am thrilled with the outcome of this election.

if you'd like to donate to the trip that these wonderful children will be taking, mail a check to:
Frazier Prep
4027 W. Grenshaw
Chicago, IL 60624

in the memo line, write D.C. trip. any amount would be a huge help to help this amazing trip take place.

11.03.2008

an end to the season

i took this picture last week. right before the first frost was scheduled to arrive, i pulled out all the remaining tomatoes and removed all the plants from my garden bed. can you believe how many there are? overall, i think that my first gardening experience was successful, fun and definitely educational.

and now, i am left with my big basket of fruit. i wish that i could just preserve it and have this beautiful centerpiece for a while, but i don't think that the tomatoes will cooperate with that plan. and so now i am in search of the best fried green tomato recipe out there. i tried one with a cornmeal crust that was crispy but just mediocre in the taste department. i have also tried one with a panko and dill crust that is then topped with a cucumber relish. tasty, but not quite perfect. any suggestions?