invisible trees and lil' round green peas

Today, I had my fourth visit at the Memorial Breast Health Center.

I was there about fifteen minutes early, giving me time to enjoy this painting of an invisible tree beside a lake, looking small against the mountain behind it.

I love the fall colors of the flaming leaves...

the blue sky mirrored in the water...

the sunlight dancing with the tree's shadow...

gorgeous, and reassuring, and hopeful.

No author's name is visible, but that's okay.

It makes it more accessible, somehow, to think that I might know the one who had painted the scene, that the person might be a distant friend, someone who knows of my penchant for these particular trees.

Perhaps this painting reminds me that I have conquered such trees in the past -

yes, I feel sure that is what draws me near, providing a peace and calmness to these visits.

Does that mean all is well now with my right breast?

Not really, as there is a new skin irritation and crustiness on that nipple, yet again.

However, it's appearance coincided with an overly chill night two weeks ago, a night so cold that I was awakened by being so cold and had to put a blanket on the bed.

Mind, that's with no air conditioning and no windows open.

When the rawness reappeared on my breast, I remembered how my hands used to react to the cold weather, looking like chopped raw meat, with bandages on my fingers from the bleeding, cracked, skin.

Could this issue be related to that one from my past?

The doctor thinks that may be the case, as this is definitely not cancer.

In fact, she told me one of her other patients has this same problem!

She has prescribed a deep moisturizer to combat the roughness, with me to follow up with her in January, after a few months of colder temperatures outside.

And, as I was leaving, I was given a little package tied with a pink bow.

What a pleasant surprise!

Then I realized why I had been gifted: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

So, now I have a pin that reads "ATTITUDE with heart is EVERYTHING" and another that says "with HOPE all things are possible" - very nice!

The gift box reads "HOPE sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible."

How did they know about invisible trees?

(smile!)

I may re-gift that package to my first niece.

The adoption process for Miyah dragged on for two years, long enough that Chloe became part of the picture after the first year.

That child just had her third birthday... and the adoption process still drags on.

Even though the birth mother gave up all rights to the two girls years ago - and has now lost a third child, a boy, to a foster family in Brunswick - Christina has had to deal with jumping through multiple hoops, watching deadlines come and go with no progress forward.

Somehow, moving from one county to another is at the root of the problem, in conjunction with the constant turnover of personnel at DFACS.

Such a forest of invisible trees!

Well, I have hope that a path through those growths is at last at hand.

I was called today by a case worker concerning the two girls, asking if I thought they were in a safe home, asking if Christina and Chris were good parents.

Of course the girls are safe and loved!

Of course my first niece and her man are good parents!

Why would anyone even consider separating the member of this family?

The girls have never known any other Mommie and Daddy - plus there's a big brother.

That's pretty much what I told the woman, repeatedly, in a calm and positive voice, for the ten-minute interview I had with her.

And here's an interesting thing: the interviewer very much liked that I was on Christina's paternal side of the family.

Hey, if she liked that, I do, too!

As for dinner, I thought a path through trees called for another Path of Life!

That's the brand name of the rice and vegetables dishes I bought last night.

This particular one is Cilantro Lime Rice, with red onion, fire-roasted corn, and red bell pepper.

I added more onion, and a squirt of lime just before serving it up.

I also added...

are you ready for this?...

a can of peas and carrots.

Yes, little, round, green, peas.

And it was so good!

I'm down to my last can of those Nemco vegetables, of the four that Michael gave me months ago.

One was added to a soup, disguising the taste of the peas and making them more palatable.

Another was added to a pasta with vegetables dish - and I discovered, to my amazement, that they were not as disgusting as my memory had told me they would be.

Tonight, my taste buds confirmed that they were good, they really were!

Mama would be so surprised.

(smile)