When I opened Facebook yesterday morning I didn't expect to be greeted
by a photo I took of a Jacksonville restaurant. It was the first place
we visited when Laurel felt up to walking around after her surgery to clip a
brain aneurysm.
We were staying in an economy hotel about two miles from the hospital. We lived
in a room on the third floor for three weeks — buying groceries every few days to
cram into the tiny refrigerator or sit on the small countertop above it. She slept
so much those first few days, but gradually her strength returned, and we spent
some time together walking the beach and dining at local places. In that three weeks
she showed me how brave she really is.
Today Laurel is every bit as bright and beautiful as ever. Yesterday she got
a new tattoo in memory of her late dad; she now has a tattoo for each member of
her family. Last night we all got pedicures — five of us — our family plus
two very good friends of Laurel's, one of whom flew in from out of town. She
sat in the chair and just beamed, she was so, so happy.
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