Six months ago I was in the midst of the darkest days in the hospital. (I should say that Patty was in the midst of those days -- I was so heavily sedated that I had no idea what was going on.) This Thursday will be the six month anniversary of the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. What a turning point that was, with immediate improvement that began as they started the awful but effective drug to attack the fungal infection.

In my prayer I often re-visit the hospitalization and the early days of recovery. And now, how easy it is to take things for granted, "back to normal." For instance, I remember how I came to hate the physical immobility in the hospital bed, of having to sleep on my back 100% of the time. How thankful I was, those first nights at home, to be able to sleep on my side!! Now -- it takes conscious effort to think of that luxury, and to be thankful for it. I remember when the pulmonologist removed the tracheotomy, and the speech therapist came in to test my swallowing ability. She gave me a sip of ice cold apple juice!! It was the best thing I'd ever tasted!! (It was the first liquid I'd had to drink in weeks.) Now -- how easy it is, in the morning, to quickly gulp down juice with a hurried breakfast, giving no thought to it.

It is a spiritual practice to remember and to give thanks. To give thanks for the ability to sleep on my side, the blessing of waking up at home, rather than from an Ativan-assisted night of "sleep" in the hospital, for apple juice for breakfast, for the ability to swallow food, for the ability to breath room air without the aid of a ventilator. What blessings from God that fill each day!

This past Sunday, several folks commented on how well I look. I really think I'm back to 100% energy and activity. (That, of course, makes it harder to remember and to give thanks! Sigh...) This Saturday is the Capital to Capital bicycle ride, from Jamestown to Richmond and back. That would be 100 miles (a century). Of course, there are turn-around points on the route. Last year I rode 75 miles of the route. I have no idea how far I'll ride this year; I'll just get out there and start pedaling and pay attention to how my body is feeling. This past Saturday afternoon I did ride a half-century (50 miles) on the beautiful new Bianchi that I bought to celebrate my recovery. After the ride on Saturday, I plan to e-mail a photograph of me and my bike with my mileage to a couple of doctors and a respiratory therapist who were especially important to my care, to thank them for taking care of me.