Archives at Zinester: "Another day to...". "I Believe in You!".

Subject: "Another day to..." - August21, 2007

"I Believe in you!"

A message of Hope...stories from the road.

************************************************

It's Monday? Then explain to me why I feel so good?

No, wait. Why try? I'll just go with the feeling. (smile)

My best to you today and always!

************************************************

Perks Pearl of Wisdom

"Never complain about how bad you think you have it. Be positive...

it's not how bad it is, it's how bad it could be." Bob Perks

************************************************

Appreciate what I do?

Here's how you can help me:

This link will take you to my web page for more information,

shopping, and ways you can help.

I humbly thank you in advance...

Love always and all ways,

Bob and Marianne Perks

********************************************

"Another Day to..."

Last week I wrote a story about the sunflowers in my yard. It was called, "Feeling Low?"

I received a number of replies each expressing an appreciation for the idea.

During the lowest points in my life, friends and family tried in every possible way

to help me. Their efforts, their kind words, and personal interventions most times

went unappreciated and often times were arrogantly rejected by me.

I had chosen not to be helped.

It would be easy here for me to say, "If you think you have it bad there is always someone else who

You, in turn, could tell be to go jump off a cliff.

You know someone has it worse. But this is your problem. You don't want to hear about someone else's.

Well, here's one for you. Not only did someone have it worse than you, but they came out of it feeling grateful.

Imagine that? Someone who faced hell and thanked God for still being alive.

Alive. It all comes down to that. Alive, now.

So you think you have it bad? Then see if you could still be as happy as this incredible woman.

I am honored to call her one of my "Friends I've never met." In her own unedited words to me...

Dear Mr. Perks,

Thank you so much for your stories. I have enjoyed them for a very long time

now, but this one about feeling low really touched my heart. In January I entered

the hospital for a 1 day, laproscopic, hiatal hernia surgery. During the surgery the

Dr. cut into my spleen and had to do emergency surgery and open me up to repair

it. Well, I have found on my own, so I know the Dr. should have known, that a spleen

injury will cause pneumonia and blood clots. I immediately got double pneumonia, so

they had to fight that, then they let me lay there drugged so that I knew nothing, but my

husband constantly telling them that my legs were turning blue, then days later were

getting black. I do remember looking down at my foot 1 day and it looked like black tar.

They finally did arteriograms and found clots in both of my legs, they then did biphamorial

bypasses on the arteries, but by that time gangrene had already set in. In the meantime,

they had taken the staples out of my stomach and I coughed one day and it oozed around

the incision. The nurse said it would be fine. I coughed again and my abdomen burst open

and I literally caught my stomach in my hand. They wrapped my stomach in my hand in gauze

and rushed me to surgery again. The Dr. called my husband and asked his permission to

do surgery and told him that I had coughed my guts out. Real nice, huh. My husband was

frantic. They then had to amputate both of my legs below the knees. My left leg still had a lot

of infection and they wound up having to go back and re-cut it.

So, from what was supposed to be 4 little holes and 1 day in hospital, it turned into 5 major

surgeries, an incision from the base of my rib cage all the way to my pelvis, and no legs.

Everyone thought that I would be depressed and watched me with eagle eyes, but I am just so

happy to be alive and I remember seeing a plant that someone had sent me and thinking, I have

another day to watch it grow. Another day to watch my daughter grow. Another day to praise God.

I am now walking on my own on my new legs that I jokingly tell people are better because I don't

have to shave them. Everyday is a struggle and I still have a lot of pain, but I am just so glad to be

here and I hope that one day my story might inspire someone else to keep going and to never give up.

Thank you so much for your inspiration and encouragement!

Lynette Ellis

Have it bad? You still have "another day to..."

I encourage you to share my stories but I do ask that you keep my name and

contact information with my work.

*********************************************

Have a comment about today's story?

please write to "2 believe @ comcast .net"

(spaces were placed between words in email address for security)

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."