Magic

"Because of our Spirit we sometimes experience extraordinary happiness in our life, even when it seems impossible with our physical energy and mental powers." Ven Thupten Gyaltsen

I have been thinking about my love of fantasy and magic during this very long week. Central Indiana had a horrendous snow storm and it hit at the height of this illness. On Tuesday we had 15 inches of snow, my brother was stuck in the street, my Mom couldn't even get her car out and mine was buried under snow and ice and even if we could dig it out it wouldn't do much good because it is a light weight car and would have qualified for the Olympic skating competition. Being a little lady Amelia of course would be in the Women's Figure Skating Finals. As fate would have it at this point with the County in a lock down and no one could go anywhere this infection decides to turn deadly. I started coughing and couldn't stop. I was getting tons of phlegm from my chest but still I couldn't breath. I used the emergency inhaler almost a dozen times because it was all I had. I needed to be in a hospital but that wasn't an option because I doubt if they could have gotten an ambulance to our house with the weather outside in blizzard conditions. I have never been so frightened in my life and my Mom and brother were equally scared. The dangers of C.O.P.D. is that there comes a time when it goes into a major asthma type attack and doesn't go out of it. The end result is death. Tuesday I was afraid that was what I might be facing but by the grace of God and the miracle of modern medicine the albuterol finally stopped the attack.

Why this brush with death made me think of magic is that as we walk through this world we have a chance to do our own magic if you will. We can touch people's lives for the good. We can make a difference. Without being morbid this last week made me wonder what would I want on my tombstone and I think I want She tried to make the world a better place. I know I will never be able to change the world on a grand scale but I know that I can and have done so on a smaller more personal scale. I helped my niece through a bad marriage and made it possible for her to have the wedding of her dreams the second time around. Auntie knows how to make a Princess Bride dress fit for her special princess. I know that my presence is what helps my Mom keep going after the death of our Dad. He was her life and I can't take his place but I can give her the type of help he could when problems arise. I give her the shoulder to cry on when she doesn't want anyone else to see the tears. I try to be there for my baby brother when certain people get so wrapped up in their massive egos that they fail to read with comprehension what he is saying. My brother has a wonderful relationship with God and some people just don't seem to understand that he shares that love and sometimes criticism as he has been called to do. If you are so busy giving yourself god-like attributes you don't want to hear from someone who worships the true God.  I know that their are many people who have gotten pleasure from my art work, writings, poetry and cooking. I share what I do with others. A former boss told me once that I had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever known. I am not afraid to say to anyone that I have no tolerance for for abuse. I put up with too much of it in my marriage and I'm not keeping quiet any more when I see some people being abusive to others.

So it is good to be alive after the scare of this week. When I got a little strength back I went back to my magical computer and did a picture from the King Arthur legend. The Lady of the Lake is the true owner of the sword Excaliber. One legend says that she has the sword with her still in the hidden Isle of Avalon, maybe even with Merlin at her side, and if the world really needs the magic she will again lend her sword out. The picture is called The Lady Waits.