Di's Lights

The lights look much prettier when it's really dark!

The snow looks like frosting...yeah?

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas here! We got the outside lights up and it snowed... so I'm getting in the mood. The inside tree is still a work in progress and Christmas stuff is all over the living room, but there just hasn't been time to get everything done with my working full time the past two weeks. Well, I don't sweat it anymore. If it doesn't get up until Christmas, I'm okay. I remember Mom telling me how in her family, no one saw the tree until Christmas Eve - especially the kids. The parlor doors were closed and Grandma & Grandpa Berch decorated the tree and lit the candles (real lights!). The doors were opened and the kids were able to see the beautiful Christmas tree and Santa had been there! The presents were opened. That's the way it was at my house (opening the presents on Christmas Eve), too, until I was married and moved away from home. Then I had to adjust to waiting until Christmas morning. What a bummer!

I sat thinking about so many Christmases past... the ones when we always traveled to California to visit my Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins; Christmases in Hatch; my Christmases in St. George and even Germany. I have a little charcoal drawing I did of mom and dad's house decorated for the season. It shows the fireplace and mantel. I get it out every year to remember the feelings. Sometimes it would be so fun just to turn back the clock and go home again.

One special Christmas was in 1983, my first Christmas with John. We had just met at Halloween time, but by Thanksgiving I was a goner. When you're in love the lights are prettier and everything seems more magical. That year John gave me a baby blue sweater and had "Lady Di" embroidered on it. (I guess we both thought we were in a fairy tale!) But he was so cute and shy... see, he could hardly put his arm around me! And, he didn't have a dirty lip... that's a mustasche! Look how skinny we were and how much hair John had! He also gave me a few trinkets and Christmas things I still have. Unbeknownst to me, John wrote a poem about this time, but I didn't see it until after we were married. It's called "Di's Lights." No one in my life ever called me "Di" before John. Of course my mom didn't EVER want anyone to call me that. But somehow when he started using Di, mom accepted and was okay with it. So if you're not into sappy, skip the poem. But it sure means alot to me.

"My Lady" I had called her;

"Prince John" her answer said.

And on a plane above the drab

Our love, our life we led.

But Life's not always in the clouds

as ours 'til now had been.

What about when normal comes,

What of our great love then?

What happens when the courting's over

as surely this all must end.

What of the days of simpleness,

When love and life must blend?

The strands of Yule were to be strung

and on that simple scene...

While low the Winter sun had hung

I knew that "Lady" could be my Queen.

(Thanks, honey for putting up with me for 25 more years!)

We actually got Christmas lights up on the roof this year! This is the first time since 2004 - when John's colon sprang a leak on December 1st. It was about 5:00 p.m., and he had just come home from work. I asked him to help me hang the big snowflake. He climbed the ladder and on the way down he said he felt like something popped, or he had a twinge and thought he must have pulled a muscle. Everything went downhill from there. I will never forget that night. From not feeling well, to nausea, to cold sweats and vomiting, things got worse. We kept debating about whether to go to the hospital, but John felt he must just have stomach flu. We did everything wrong. He got into the hot spa, and then we did a couple of home remedies to give him relief. These just exacerbated what we would later find out was a perforated colon.

We finally went to the LDS hospital at about 4:00 a.m. - John could hardly walk; he was extremely ill and before long a surgeon was called. His white blood count was sky-high, noting an infection. Mitch came and gave his dad a blessing, then it was off to the OR. Dr. Price removed over nine inches of his colon and John had a colostomy. What a shock for both of us. Not only that, his whole abdomen was left wide open with the incision from stem to stern. Peritonitis had taken it's toll and massive IV antibiotics were administered.

To make a long story short... John finally came home from the hospital 10 days later. Christmas was different, but very good that year. All our family was grateful to be together - nothing else mattered. We were blessed beyond compare. Usually, I'm so stressed at this time of year, but that year the Lord just gave me extra strength, stamina and hope. I usually hate blowing and shoveling snow, but I seemed to enjoy it (and my good neighbors helped alot too). I was able to do all the Christmas shopping, plan the get-togethers, decorate and all the holiday stuff without much trouble at all. But the best part was just being able to take care of John and nurse him back to health. After about 7-8 weeks of the wound-vac, when all the infection was gone and he was healed up, John returned for the re-connect. The colostomy was removed and his colon was resected. This operation was very touch and go with another 12 days in the hospital and another long recovery.

Many people have died with what John had; in fact, Utah sportscaster Doug Miller passed away not long afterwards with the same condition/operation. Stranger still, at the same time John was having his colon resected in Salt Lake, his older brother Will was in a St. George hospital having the same operation. Luckily for him, they caught the diverticulitis before it perforated the colon and he did not have peritonitis or have to have a colostomy. Although there were moments when John's situation seemed grim and the future uncertain, there was never a moment when I had any doubt John wouldn't recover. From the diagnosis in the ER to full recovery, I had a certain peace and calm come over me. I always knew things would be okay. And they are!

I'm grateful for good family and friends, and especially the Light of Christ which fills the world and our hearts. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!