Quote of the Week...from John Quincy Adams

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

                                                                     ---John Quincy Adams

This current season in my life, the summer of 2021, has been an intensive training session in the arts of patience and perseverance.  In late June I made the decision to go ahead with my thoracic surgeon's strong recommendation to get my defective heart valve replaced and my aortic aneurism repaired, a procedure requiring open heart surgery...complete with taking apart the sternum and fusing it back together afterwards.  As such, it has been for me a long, long rocky road of triumphs and setbacks as I make my slow recovery and strive to return to my previously active lifestyle.  I had to be patient and persevere with being in the hospital's intensive care unit following surgery a little longer than planned due to a complication and then on the general floor, also a lengthier stay.  During this time I've had to faithfully endure extended limits on my mobility and drug-induced negative effects on my bodily functions, which included during my entire hospital stay absolutely no appetite whatsoever.  Upon final discharge, I have been homebound and limited in what I can do, being on "sternal precautions", designed to limit my arms, lifting, and upper body motion to protect my refusing rib cage...it is set to end on September 9th, after which I can begin to recover that use of my body...again in a slow, methodical manner.  I've also had to patiently deal with a-fib, fluid retention in my chest and pain as the medical authorities responsible for my care carefully adjust my post-op medications and procedures.  Early on after the operation I felt discouraged and demoralized, but kept up with whatever requests that were made upon me in as positive a spirit as possible.  Now, six weeks after surgery, I have made a great deal of progress: while living and struggling through it all, minute by minute, day by day, it seemed to last forever, the more I look back on where I was I am increasingly astounded by how relatively brief a time I have spent in this state.  There's more recovery to come, but I am glad I kept the faith and plodded on through the most trying times.  But patience and perseverance remain the watchwords here, and as one of my favorite U.S. presidents, John Quincy Adams, has said, they will lead to the conquering of my difficulties and obstacles...