Chapter Five

Chapter 5 - September 16, 2022.

It has been 11 long years since Richard left his body and is now my Guardian Angel! I miss him every day and have connected to him with the support of my Spiritual Advisor. Sadness comes over me at any moment because I have such vivid memories of our short life together. I have mentioned previously that he was my best friend! And he was. I was only 19 when I had him and thank God I was. I was able to have a mother/child relationship I yearned for in my childhood.

I am an “only” child from a family of 6. I have two sisters, and three brothers and we are not in touch with one another. Our upbringing was very challenging and thank goodness I was number 6 because I was able to see what I did not want. My mom, who I respect and love, did the best she could. She was diagnosed with deep depression and was not emotionally able to give me the love and attention I craved. My siblings were older than I and I was considered the “pest”. So I created my own invisible family – had tea parties, made dirt pies, played games, etc. At a very young age, I took care of myself and made sure that I had fun in all that I did. I was very active in school and sports. My mom was not an affectionate person, she never hugged me, played with me, had conversations, etc.

I was very grateful that I was able to give my son a mother who was involved in every aspect of his life. We traveled, rode bikes, roller skated, shopped, cub scouts, etc. – I loved spending every waking moment with him.

This year he would have been 47 years old! That really doesn’t seem possible. I imagine what he would look like. Still handsome and probably more distinguished.

My health is still improving although there are some challenges that I am looking into with specialists. What I have discovered is that we must have a Team to take care of us. Living the best life is what I want and am constantly working towards.

I have added another modality to my exercise routine. It’s Gyrotonics! I was introduced to this type of movement a year ago and it has helped the stiffness; joint pain; lower back and knees immensely. I was not able to straddle the equipment so the exercises were modified so I could still accomplish the program. I can now straddle the bench with still limits and this is a big step for me. Having your legs frozen closed can be annoying! There is amazing progress and it is slow. Patience is my new best friend.

Richard and Amber

To be continued....