Reach and Raise Yoga on the Steps

Particpated in Reach and Raise, 

fka Yoga on the Steps today.

Really a nice time spent with my daughter

and one of her closest friends.

This was my first time participating

and its 15th anniversary.

I think I'll do it again next year.

I think I'll get back into doing yoga too.

BTW, for you Rocky fans, it was held on 

the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Of course the BEST part of the day was

the Mimosas post Yoga!

wink, wink! ;)

#Namaste, #YogaOnTheSteps, #ReachAndRise, #LivingBeyondBreastCancer, #PhillyArtMuseumSteps, #RockySteps

Happy Mothers Day!

Lovely day spent with the family...

Perfect Mothers Day for me.

Even Mother Nature cooperated

and sent the sunshine and warmth.

Wishing all mothers, adopted, step, birth a very 

Happy Mothers Day!

What a Crazy Week It's Been

My newest grandson, Shay Michael, arrived last Thursday, 4/17/16, in the wee hours of the morning.  

Mom and Dad were so surprised it was a boy.  This their firstborn, they decided to not find out the gender of the baby.

Shay came home in a rare April snowstorm on the Saturday after his birth.

Something didn't seem right about him.  He looked jaundiced but was acting sort of normal, yet something didn't seem right.

On Monday, my son-in-law called to reschedule the appointment for Thursday to the earliest we could get.  We got a Tuesday appointment.

Dr. said yes he appeared jaundiced but his neurological exam showed great reflexes and he seemed to be active.  Under direct sunlight, the jaundic appeared less yellow.  She chalked the florescent lights with making him appear more yellow than normal.

All this but to be sure, she wanted up to stop by the hospital on the way home and have bloodwork done.  This would be fresh blood being tested v. having to wait for a lab to pick up specimen from office and possible coagulation.

So we did.  My daughter and I stopped by a hospital on the way home and had bloodwork done.

Shortly after arriving home, the doctored called with the results... very high and she wanted to know if we wanted to go back to where he was born on into the city to CHOP.  We chose the hospital where he was born.  My daughter is an ER nurse in that same hospital and going elsewhere would prove a hardship on the pocketbook.  Good news is that this hospital has doctors from CHOP at their location.  (it's bull_hit that a person working at a medical facility known for it's trauma unit has such crappy insurance and has to provide care to so many people who 'don't have insurance' who never have to pay for it... sorry, another post, another rant about Obamacare.)

From the time we had the blood count at the hospital on the way home to the hospital he was admitted to, it had risen 6 more units, up to 30!  YIKES!  Normal is 0 to 5...

It got to the point where my daughter needed me by her side because she was going to lose it with the things Shay had to face... possible brain damage, cerebral palsy and a possible complete blood transfusion.  The Red Cross had been called to bring in the special blood needed.

It was about midnight and I put on clothes and headed up to be with my daughter and her husband and Shay.

Since that time, he's made many small successful steps and we are very grateful for the many prayers that we received.

Please say a prayer if you have a moment.  Although Shay shows improvement, he's not out of the woods just yet.

A Week Spent In A Cell In Detox...

and he returned home.

Luckily, this past 'Good Friday' I was working from home when to my surprise, my son entered our home.

What are you doing here?  I thought they put you away again.

He was placed in a cell to go through detox.  (And I just read an article about how people are dying while incarcerated going through detox. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/inmates-heroin_us_56966f64e4b09dbb4bad6ab6).  Not good, not good.

He called his PO to let him know he was at his house, not at the prison.  See, the PO was supposed to be at the prison to pick him up.

We had quite the lively conversation about his being sent away.  Net/net, he said he'd leave and take care of my not having to worry anymore.

I asked the PO if when I brought him down to their office, I could speak to him.

Long story short, the PO changed his mind on where my son was to go.  Instead of a 60 - 90 day half-way house, he would be placed in a Inpatient Treatment Center in the city.  Not lock down but there would be about a 5 day black out period, which is standard for treatment facilities from my past experience.

And so it goes...

His Release Lasted 30 Days...

So wonderful to have him home again, it was not meant to be.
He almost immediately relapsed and got a positive urine.
He was reimprisoned on Friday.
Where he goes from here, I do not know.

Heartbreak does not even begin to describe my emotions.
Right now I am numb.

What a weekend... or rather, what another weekend of numb.

#IHateHeroin #HeroinKills #StopTheStigmaStartAConversation #WereAllInThisTogether #AddictionIsNotFun #EducateYourselvesEducateYourChildren

We Celebrated Baby M's Mama!

What a lovely day spent celebrating Baby M and his/her Mama...

Just about 6 weeks remain til we meet Baby M, so excited!

Enjoy the photos...

And here's Baby M's Mama with Baby M's cousin 

snugglin' up to find out when Baby M will come out and play.

I am looking forward to having something happy to celebrate 

on Apirl 15 v. the loss of my son's girlfriend to heroin in 2015.

We miss you Crystal.

One More Day...

Well, actually, it's four more days...
Four more days until my son, who's been incarcerated for the last 10 months, comes home.

He comes home, to start anew.
He comes home, to nightmares of what happened at home before he was sent away.
He comes home, to battle his addiction.
He comes home, to fight an uphill battle.
He comes home, to leave the past in the past.
He comes home, to face the stigma of incarceration, addiction and whatever else goes with it.
He comes home, to work hard to get the life he deserves.
He comes home, to a family that loves him.
He comes home, to me.


And so, my maternal instinct to worry about him will return.  I will try to keep it at bay.  I know I have no control over his decisions, his life, his actions.  I will try to let go and let God.  I will try to be supportive, yet not enabling.

Allowing him to come back to our home places a heavy burden on my husband and me.  Our home has to be a certain way, rules and regulations... and yes, we have agreed to these inconveniences 
in the hope that he has a fresh start, 
in the hope he can overcome the negativity that he will face
in the hope that he can overcome his addiction
in the hope that he never uses heroin again
in the hope that our support will see him onto a happy, successful life
in the hope for the best possible outcome for him.
You see, we still have hope.

And so, my dear reader, four more days, until my son comes home...

I could use your prayers.

#IHateHeroin #HeroinKills #AddictionNeedsTreatment #HateTheDrugNotTheAddict #IncarcerationForAddictsDoesn'tWork #DrugFreeLife #RehabilitationForAddicts #HeroinEpidemic #JustSayNo #PrayersForAddicts #MothersAgainstHeroin #Heroin #HelpForAddicts