A Broken Heart . . .

God's Plans . . .

It's been a very long time since I've posted - and for good reason. John Lennon said: "Life happens when you least expect it." 

If you follow me on FaceBook, you know that our family has been going through an extremely difficult time. My husband had a triple by-pass and a pace maker/defibrillator installed at the end of January - beginning of February, was home for two weeks and then began to experience shortness of breath.

To make a very long and difficult story short, the doctors put him on a ventilator (breathing machine) yesterday. I had time to call all of our children, and Jim was surrounded by family before they "put him under". Time will tell whether or not this is the answer to our prayers.

 

Apparently, Jim is a victim of toxicity to one of the drugs prescribed after his heart surgery. Toxicity to this drug is apparently very rare and presents in only about 5% of patients. What makes our case even more rare is that the toxicity manifested after only a month - it usually doesn't manifest in most patients for 6-8 months. The doctors are doing their best; but they're in uncharted waters and my Darling is in critical condition. Time is of the essence.

I truly believe that love, prayers and support can heal. I am asking you to send all of the good wishes and love that you can our way, and am asking for prayers of serenity and acceptance. I believe in miracles, but maybe God has other plans. 

With love and heartfelt thanks.♥

♥

A Mended Heart

Heart

Textile Art

(Click on a button to see the detail!)

During January . . . . for some unknown reason . . . . I was obsessed with making, embellishing and embroidering little hearts. In light of what was to come, I can't help but think that my obsession was a premonition of things to come. 

My darling husband went into the hospital two weeks ago for an Angiogram, and underwent an emergency triple by-pass surgery the following day.  Many anxious days followed, filled with surgical teams, assessments, more procedures and finally, surgery for a pacemaker / defibrillator.

Apparently, God has very special plans for my man . . . one of the surgeons told me that my husband could been talking to me one moment and could have dropped dead the next. Happily, the "patient" is home from the hospital and has begun his healing journey.

Along the way, we've been blessed with an awesome cardiac team and were surrounded by the sustaining power of much love♥ and many prayers from family and friends. Many of you have followed our journey on FaceBook, and I thank you for your love and support.

Many times I wrapped your love around me and felt your virtual "hugs". You lifted me, carried me and  supported me through some very dark hours. I am grateful. We still have a long road of healing and changes to follow, but we've made it through a very long, dark and scary tunnel. 

Over the next few weeks  art and blogging time will be put on "hold" while I nurse my darling back to health. Please remember that love ♥ is the  only legacy that we leave behind! 

Please give someone you love a  HUGE hug today! ♥
♥

Heart Strings!

Heart Strings♥

It all started innocently with a pattern for a tiny crocheted heart and the rediscovery of my crochet hook. (My beloved grandmother taught me to crochet when I was nine!) Before I knew it, I had a stack of handmade hearts begging for more creativity.

My first little valentine was made of red yarn and embellished with blue fibers, a bit of stamped silk and glass beads. Happy with that experiment, I crocheted my second heart . . . . this time, an orange one trimmed in fuzzy, green yarn.

In the process, I remembered what it was like to "play" with materials. I began to enjoy the gift of unrestrained and unrestricted creativity. Last year I'd focused on journals, this year will be a year of play and exploration into the world of fabrics and fiber art.

Frankly, I'm sailing into uncharted creative waters, and it's a little unsettling. Journaling and playing with images is so familiar. However, I'm remaining steadfast in my resolution to explore, and - most of all - to have fun in 2012. Somewhere in my past artistic life, I'd gotten caught up in self-imposed expectations and deadlines and totally forgot that making art should be fun♥ .

And so, I played with my stack of colorful little hearts to My "♥'s content". When I was finished, I strung the little valentines on recycled sari ribbon, and hung my "heart strings" garland on the mirror in my kitchen as a reminder to enjoy my new creative journey.

May your day be filled with fun! ♥
♥