The Optimist.

“I feel more optimistic than I have for a long time,” Shirley said after she told me with a big smile how good it was to see me and welcomed DeRay and Ed who came in later.

    She talked about what good church services they have and hoped that maybe we could stay. I told her that we were on our way to Vegas but that Carol & Verla wanted to come down as soon as the weather straightened up and maybe they would plan to attend church with her.

They came to get her for dinner while we were there. She clipped down that hall at a pretty good pace with her walker.  She says Keenan comes to walk her twice every day.  She always liked to walk and she always was intent on keeping in shape. She says she feels very lucky because many who had the same surgery she had never walked again.

Best of all, she has an appetite. She ate everything on her plate. Last time we were there, she would hardly touch a thing. She likes all the mates at her table and knows what each one does well. We went down the hall to see the crafts of one of her tablemates and when we got back, Amy Jayne was there so we were double lucky.

We stopped again on the way home. Our visit was limited because of the looming storm that planned to hit us head-on. She was still cheerful and talkative. She did say that she has had a cold during the week and coughed so hard it hurt. She was feeling a little better today. 
She doesn’t have a phone in her room but she loves letters and visits.

Got us!

(And I was too afraid to take a picture over the high passes.)