Thankful for Day 1

Hello November.
Hello neglected blog
And Hello Thankful challenge, the 2012 edition.

5 years ago, I decided to challenge myself with blogging every day during November.  Yikes, for as infrequent as I have blogged lately, that alone will be a challenge to renew my acquaintance with blogger and all that goes into regular blogging.

Each day in November, I have shared or commented about something I'm grateful for. True, some years I've played catch up at the end.  And some years, the gratitude of the day is rather trivial in the grand scheme of things.  But each time I have managed to share something or someone that I am grateful for.

So today, I start out with being thankful for traditions. It is not a tradition I have practiced my entire life but only for the past five years.  Yet, a tradition has to get it's start somewhere, right?   What started as a personal challenge (can I really come up with that many things to be grateful for?) has now become part of my November routine.  

And as a result of this newly established tradition, I find myself appreciating and enjoying Thanksgiving more and more each year.  It is more than just turkey an a nice glass (or two) of wine.  It is about the tradition of giving thanks...

Let the fun begin!

Maybe Dr. House is right?

Just as I manage to sort through one situation where critical information would have made me able to provide better care, another situation cropped up.

A young lady collapsed yesterday.  While her condition was stable, it is still a very unsettling sight to see a loved one out cold.  The  boyfriend of this student has been the witness to enough trauma in his short life so seeing his girlfriend out cold was more than he could handle.  He started to experience some significant panic issues.  We worked with him, got him calmed down and then   I spoke to his mom.  His mom and I  agreed that he was too upset to finish out the day and I sent him home.

Well....a few hours later I learned that he knew way more information than he shared with myself and emergency crew.  His lies may just end up costing him way more than the loss of my trust.

I really enjoy working  with the population of a high school.  The kids are old enough to get my humor, yet they still young enough in many other ways that make them a fun group to spend my day with.  They are independent enough that I can juggle many of their issues all at once (they can bandage their own boo-boos: that alone is a huge help on busy days).  But they are also still looking to the adults to help them sort through some issues.  They have grown up issues they have to tackle with a brain that is still trying to develop.  I enjoy being available to help them through these developmental tasks.

Yesterday?
How I wish with all my heart that my young man had trusted me enough to be honest with me....I could have helped him.    Now?  I'm not sure there is much I can do to make sure he gets to remain in school.
yep...it's THAT serious.

3 calls to Emergency crew in 3 weeks...buckle up it's gonna be a LOOOOOOONG school year.

The short weeks

are indeed usually the longest ones.

Wednesday I had my first 911 call of the new school year.  A young lady came in, looking and acting very out of sorts.  I got her situated in the back to rest, while I started to collect some additional information.  No sooner had I pulled up her name on the computer, did my trusted and faithful assistant call out "Martha, she's not responding".  While I raced to assess her condition, I sent Susan to call 911.  It was a good thing that I didn't waste any time making that decision.  Before the paramedics had arrived, this girl's health took a sharp turn into the world of bizarre.    If one ever questions why we need police officers in the school, please just have them call me.    Our officer happened to come into the room right as the student changed from being unresponsive to being something straight out of a horror movie.  His quick thinking and sheer strength kept me and the student safe. Thank you, Officer P.  I owe you big time!

Today took me down another emotionally charged road.  One that I was honored to assist with, but still struck by the sadness of it all.  I was called to assess the wounds of a young girl who had admitted to her counselor that she had taken up cutting.  I walk in, and while she is now 15, all I see is the little girl I first met when she was 6.  How could that confident happy girl now be cutting and expressing ideas and plans to end her life?    Again I turned to my trusted assistant:  "can you handle the clinic, I just can't leave right now".

So for an hour, I sat and held this young girl's hand.  I hugged her mom as she shook with fear 'how is this possible".  And yes, I shared in their tears.   I cannot imagine a phone call more frightening than the one from the school psychologist asking that you come to the school as we plan to transport your child for a suicide assessment at the local hospital.  To actually know the student and her family, made it all that more frightening and humbling.

Yes indeed...you can cram in a week's worth of work in just 4 days.

Life goes on

I recently read a quote that noted "In three words, I can sum up everything I have learned about life:  It Goes On".   Yesterday proved that to be oh so very true.

Hubby and I had the joy of attending the wedding of dear sweet Caitlin and her perfectly matched husband Eric.  We've known Caitlin for over 14 years:  first as the "friend of the the friend" (her best friend is Judy's oldest daughter) and now she and her family  have truly become friends of our family.

Thank you Caitlin and Eric for including us in your very special day!  It was perfect from start to finish!

Think of all the beauty still around you and be happy....Anne Frank

Joy runs deeper than despair....Cora ten Boom

Time is running out...

I'm into the homestretch of my most relaxing summer vacation.  Not sure how others deal with the reality of summer bliss coming to an an end.   But, I do know what I do:  I tackle the reading pile with a new found sense of urgency.  

It started with this one.  Perhaps you've heard about it?  It created quite the stir last year when first released. Essentially, it is the memoir of a woman, reflecting on her actions as a "Chinese parent" and how that contrasts to "Western parents".  Press picked up on a "we vs. they" approach and she made the rounds of the assorted media outlets.  As the white girl in a mixed marriage involving someone of Chinese heritage, you can imagine my reluctance to read a book that potentially tells me how I'm doing everything wrong as a parent.  Hubby and I don't need to read a book to hear that conversation:  we only need to recall  past conversations with his folks(ok, slight exaggeration...but you get the idea).

Nope, no how...wasn't going to read it.  Besides, remember my last book report about me vs. non-fiction.  But again, it was available on the library's e-book "available now" section so I figured "what the heck, let's see what the hoopla is all about".

Turns out the book was not nearly as threatening as I initially thought it would be.  I realized in reading this, that we all have a little Tiger in us when it comes to being a parent.    And while I don't want to spoil the book, the author also made a few discoveries of her own in terms of her parenting style.  

Next up is this young adult novel by Sara Zarr.  It involves two young ladies:  both about the same age (18) and experiencing two major life changing events.  One is pregnant and the other is still recovering from the sudden loss of her father.  Told through both their voices, I appreciated the author's ability to portray this age group in two different ways. I also appreciated how while the story was predictable, it was told in a way where the reader stayed engaged and interested. 

 Lots of "Aha" lines....you know, where an author can capture such a complex idea in just a sentence or two.  I admire that ability.   For example:  "there are so many pieces of grief.  Sad pieces, angry pieces, guilty pieces, pieces of regret and pieces that are a certain kind of  pain that doesn't even have a word."   Or how about,  "You used to not give a damn about anything, but that was because you were brave, not cynical.".  

And finally, the story takes place in Denver which probably enhanced my enjoyment of this book.   It is indeed a quick and worthy read.  And, it would make for a great book club discussion:  especially for a mother-daughter type club.  

Remember Sidney Sheldon?  I remember reading his stuff in the late 80s/early 90s.  Thought he was dead, right?  Well, yes, he died but apparently the family has authorized Tilly Bagshawe to write in his "style" and use the Sidney Sheldon name.  I think that's probably a good thing:  I've heard of Sidney Sheldon but not Tilly Bagshawe and wonder....would I have picked up the book if not for the name recognition?

Turns out, she can write just as good as I recall Sidney Sheldon.  The story, a murder-mystery that spans several continents over at least a decade, is well thought out. It starts with the murder of a wealthy elderly man and his much younger wife is brutally assaulted, only to disappear within days of the assault, only after giving away his entire estate to charity.

While predictable, she does a great job of maintaining the reader's interest.  What I really appreciated was the time spent after that capture telling more of the "now what".  In many other murder-mystery books, once they catch the crazed criminal, the story ends as if to say "that's a wrap".  She managed to add a few more twists right up until the very end.

I'd put this in the summer-beach reading "fluff" category but worth a quick read.  Especially if you are trying to get back into the groove of reading after a hiatus of sort.

Now, off to see what else I can manage to plow through before the reality hits on August 14th...until then, you know where you can find me:  with my nose, stuck in a book!

The reason for my absence...

Not only was it a good week, it turned out to be a good week to be out of town.

Our prayers go out to the victims and their families of the Aurora shooting.  This story hit just a little too close to home:  with a few of the students from my school being involved.  From what I've heard, all are expected to make a full recovery....with time and support.  They can certainly count on support from the nurses office once we all return to school next month.

Summer Sampler

It is a never ending battle to get Thing One to try new things.  But, in all honesty, I shouldn't get too frustrated with him:  I am also a creature of habit.  I know what I like and don't really stray too far from those standards.

Take reading, I am a 100% fiction reader.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I am sure that non-fiction book is very well written and worth my time to read, but I had convinced myself I just couldn't get through.

And then came the current hit The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  It  really sounded fascinating:  telling the story of the HeLa cells.  Malignant cells collected in the 1950s that really shaped the course of modern medicine in ways the scientists never imagined.  It also tells the story of who HeLa was:  Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman who grew up in rural Virginia and later moved to Baltimore.

Sounded great...but it was NON FICTION.

Remember, I don't do that genre of books.

But, just as I nagged at my older son to try a new food, I too pushed myself to try a type of book that is typically not to my liking.

And guess what?  I liked it.  I really, really liked it.

I could relate so well to many parts of the story.  My background as a nurse of course factored into it. But, I was also taken back to 1992, when my first job out of the Army was working at an inner city hospital in Baltimore Maryland.  Who knows, maybe Henrietta's descendants passed through my clinic?  Doubtful, but possible.  I did my reserve training with an inner-city unit not far from the area that Henrietta's family still lived in.  And the area that she grew up in?  Not far from a job I "almost" took but decided rural Virginia was not the place for me.  

I found myself reflecting on how much medicine has changed over 50 years.  Not just how we treat illnesses, but how we treat the patient.   Henrietta was treated in a fashion consistent with the time and era.  But, if we treated her and her family in such a fashion today?  Yeah, get ready to meet with the legal department and expect to lose your license.  

Am I ready to convert to reading more non-fiction?  Probably not...but this one really was a worthy read.

Hey, did I tell you?  Last month, I went to Hawaii.  OK, not really....but I did read this interesting historical fiction set on the island of Molokai.  It tells the story of 7 year old Rachel who developed leprosy.  At the time, we knew nothing about this illness and fear guided many of decisions related to how it was managed.  As a result, isolation was the name of the game.  Rachel was shipped off to this isolated island.  The story tells her life on the island, along with many others.

I found the history part of the story to be fascinating.  Rich in detail:  not just about leprosy but about the state of Hawaii before it became a state, the cultural and religious practices of its' people.  Stuff I never knew.     I would say that was the author's primary interest:  sharing history as I sometimes felt the character development was slapped together and plot was stretched so that he could include another plausible historical event.

Regardless, it made for an interesting read and again, would make for a very interesting book club discussion.

It also left me wanting to pack my bags and head off to Hawaii...which I suppose makes this a potentially expensive book to read.

So those have been my two favorites of the summer.  I've also found myself afflicted by this disease caused Netflix-itisis...you know you can watch entire seasons of certain shows?  Yeah, not so good....I've found myself hooked on Drop Dead Diva and the darker lawyer show Guardian.  Both have become huge time drains...but with the recent heat wave, one doesn't feel like doing much more than hibernating inside, away from the hot dry summer sun.

Until next time....

Catching up

 I suppose I should finish blogging about how much fun we had here.  A few pleasant surprises (not as humid as we were expecting).  A few not-so pleasant surprises (significantly more crowded than we were expecting) and finally some wonderful surprises (Not once, but twice Hubby ran into friends from his military days)


The first surprise happened with the help of his buddy Lee.  Lee knew we were coming, so he tracked down two other college buddies that Hubby had lost contact with.  Together we all enjoyed a great evening of food and fellowship at Lee's country home.  (honest, it was way out there in the country!)

The other surprise happened on our last full day in DC.  We were looking for a breakfast spot before visiting the spy museum.  As I dart into a bagel shop with the Things, I realize Hubby is no longer right behind us.  I retrace my steps outside where I find my usually quiet man chatting up two FBI agents (yes, we were right across the street from FBI HQ).  Seems one of the two men remembered Hubby from their Army days in the late 80s/early 90s.   Mr. O. and his co-worker had just stepped out of their office for a morning cup of coffee.  Imagine the odds?

the boys were awestruck when Mr. O. kindly offered them one of his business cards.  Still not sure which impressed them more:  the fact that they were talking to two FBI agents, or that their dad knew an agent?  

It should come as no real surprise that Thing Two no longer thinks he wants to be a marine helicopter pilot (yeah, we knew that dream had ended when we noticed how sensitive he is).   Nope, he is now thinking law enforcement is the route to go.  Was it meeting Dad's friend the agent?  Or the fact that during our visit to the Crime and Punishment museum, he managed to rock the simulator:  firing off 3 shots, with two being kill shots?  Or that the best part of the vacation was our adventure to the Spy Museum interactive exhibit where he got to be the spy?

All in all, it was a good trip....

And while I'm on this blogging roll....I should also mention how much fun we had here.  You can read all the details and reasons for my willingness to try camping here.   I'll just hit the highlights....

 The Things and I joined up with the Russians at the campground just outside of Grand Lake, CO

 Thing Two was all smiles...he's been eager to try camping for a very long time...

 We're still not sure how they managed it, but the campground owners had arranged for an exemption to the campfire ban that is state wide.  We think it was because we were camping in the middle of a field.  Just the same, it was unsettling to watch the embers spark up, knowing the danger and destruction that a simple spark poses to our very dry state right now.

 While Hubby was with Valencia, enduring the heat, we took in this little festival in  Winter Park.

 Milestone moment:  the oldest one has indeed surpassed his mama in height.  The scowl on his face reflects his dislike for chocolate:  he was hoping for a chicken festival I think!

Not matter how old you get, the appeal of climbing on the statue never grows old if you are my kids.

So while we are off having fun in the sun, I still must pause and say a word of Thanks to the countless fire crews and rescue workers that are hard at work here in Colorado.  We knew it was going to be a rough fire season.  The winter was mild, dry and warm temperatures in early Spring added to our worry.  Years of pine beetle destruction has left our forested areas primed and ready for the spread of wildfires.  Hot temperatures, high winds.  It is just too much to process.

On a personal level, we are safe.  But as our fellow residents are asked to leave their homes on a minutes notice, left waiting and wondering what will be left....our heart aches for them.     There is not much else we can do except pray:  for patience, courage and strength....and of course, for rain!  I would gladly give up this summer of fun, and return to work if it meant that the season of fires are finished.  If only it worked that easy....

It only took 30 years...

To make it into the yearbook....and as a "centerfold" no less!  I guess I can strike this from my bucket list!

(this double page spread was in the school yearbook.  I knew the yearbook kids had taken my photo and interviewed me.  Was surprised to see that I was featured as the lead article about teachers/staff.)

And no, that is not a very short high school student.  In addition to the 2400 teenagers assigned to my care, I also supervise a day care program that is held on our campus.  These little raptors are the children of staff within our district.  I still prefer the bigger kids, but I also enjoy the occasional visitor that is indeed shorter than I am.

Enough about work...back to summer vacation and relaxing I must go!

Before I was a blogger...

My summer project is to work on the chaos that is my basement storage closet. Sure, a walk in closet in your craft area sounds like a great idea:  until you have it so filled with stuff, you can't find anything!   As a result, I"m busy sorting, purging, scanning.  

Today, I came across this gem:  apparently it is a note I wrote to my Grandma Irene  at some point during my youth.    It would have made a pretty amusing blog entry!

The text reads:
My grandma is a very nice lady.  She is 70 years old but she still acts like a spring chicken.  She's one of those ladies who keeps on working and just can't sit still for five minute.  She is a very good cook.  she make anybody gain 10 pounds at one meal!  when she says she don't have no food, well the trth is she doesn't have as much food as she wishes she had.  She says she's fat but I don't think so.  also, if she were fat like my mom, she wouldn't eat.  Me and my grandma get along pretty good.  I guess we get along pretty.
(wonder why I just stopped writing?  who knows...)
Yikes...I'm trying to recall what my mother's
reaction was when she saw this letter?  If she was even privy to it.  My cousin and I had a tradition of spending a week at Grandma's house each summer:  my guess is that is when I would have written it.  Probably around the mid 1970s?  Assuming she really was 70 when I wrote this:  Grandma had the habit of not disclosing her true age...something I can appreciate now that I myself am older.  She also never disclosed her middle name, simply said she didn't like it and thus wouldn't tell us what it was.

Grandma Irene passed away in December 2002, at the wonderful age of 96.  I often wonder what she would think of her family and how it has grown?  My guess is she'd be pretty proud of all of us!

My nephew visits with his great grandma.  I have always loved the smile on her face in this photo.

Even Thing One was able to sample one of Grandma's trademark cookies!

Grandma and her grands with their  kids mid 1990s.
Missing were 9 more great grands that were  either not born or not able to attend the party.

Arlington Reflections....

The schools here have a tradition of going to Washington DC in 8th grade.  We denied Thing One's request to go with his classmates as the price tag was such that I said (in my mommy wisdom) "We could ALL go for that price".   and of course, Thing One with his memory immediately started in with "remember, you said we could go!".  

So, off we went...

First Stop:  Arlington National Cemetery

As we toured the grounds, I was swept away with the beauty of this place..We wandered over to the Women in Service memorial.  It was here that I found myself reminded that I too am one of many who was committed to serving in our nation's military. 

 What surprised me and saddened me, was how we had this area all to ourselves.  Hundreds of girl scouts (they were in town for their 100th anniversary celebration, estimates were there were 200,000 girl scouts preparing to "Rock the Mall" over the weekend), swarming the place, and few if any  took those extra few steps to explore this portion of the property.  Here, these young girls could have learned so much about the  role that women have played in our nation's military. 

 I don't fault the girls themselves, but I question their leaders.  Did they know this place was here?  Did they choose not to include it?  Yes, this exhibit was a bit off the beaten path from the typical tourist attractions of Arlington, but it wasn't much of a long walk over to this area.  

It is my  hope it was a simple over sight on their part.  To think it was much more than this, is simply too disappointing to imagine.   

As for my guys, they know the role that women have played in the military.  They know that had it not been for the military, our family as we know and define it, would not be here.  

  And for that I am proud...

(trip report to be continued in the days that follow)

In the blink of an eye

Celebrating Thing One....today he finished 8th grade....next stop high school!

Laughing it off

Some days, that's all you can do.   Thing One is your typical moody teenager.  One minute, he's happy as can me.  Next minute?  Not so much.

He's also struggling with figuring out how his 'quirky' factor plays into some of his reactions.  We've been working with him to understand how having autism makes it more difficult to read the cues of others.

During a recent meltdown, he cried out "Why? Why? Why do I have this alzheimers?"

Bookworm? Guilty as charged

All these just in the past couple of months?  Ok, so maybe it does make sense that the running joke at Book Club is finding a book that Martha HASN"T read.

This book we read for our winter book club selection.  I had read it before, several years ago, and thought "sure let's read it again".  It's a historical fictional account of the the Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the oldest surviving Jewish illuminated texts.  The story takes the reader all over the world:  with the focus being war-torn Sarejevo.  While I enjoyed it the second time around, I left realizing how little I actually know about world history, especially as it relates to the conflicts between Muslims-Jews-and Christians.

 This book I actually picked out on a whim.  I was eager to see how the Ipad worked with my local library's system and it was the first book I came across that was "available to download NOW".  (while my library has loads of digital books available, many were already checked out, and I wanted instant reading).

What a pleasant surprise this book turned out to be.  It is set post-WWII and centers on a young Polish couple that is reunited after 6 years being separated from each other.  Can you imagine being a newlywed, with a new baby and war breaks out.  Your husband goes off to serve his county and you are left to fend for yourself?  Both the husband and wife suffered greatly during the 6 years and the author did a great job of telling each of their stories while also telling their story of being reunited.

 This was another book club selection...and one I hadn't read.  It's written by a Colorado author, who after years of teaching The Scarlet Letter to her students, decided to write about what happened to Hester and Pearl after the Scarlet letter ended.    I'm sure I read Scarlet Letter in high school (isn't it required reading) but didn't remember the details.  After reading this book, I'm curious to go back and re-read Scarlet Letter and see how the Hester created by Hawthorne compares to this Hester.   Maybe this summer?

 Maeve Binchy has always been a favorite author of mine.  Think easy beach read style of writing but set in Ireland.  As is her typical style, she tells the stories of many different characters with them all coming together either throughout the story or at the end.  I admit:  the story itself was rather hard to believe as being possible:  A woman dying of cancer, reaches out to the baby daddy and asks him to raise this unborn child.  The baby daddy takes on the challenges with the help of his community, and manages to kick his alcoholic habits in the process.  If only life's stories really were that simple to solve:  but that's what makes me enjoy this author:  she puts such a happy spin on even the saddest of stories.  Check this one out when you just need some happily-ever-after type stories.

 Speaking of Happy....here's another story that is a mixture of happiness and heartbreak.  I read this one based on the reviews of my friend.  The story is told by Doug, the 14 year old new kid in town.  The author does a great job of getting the voice of his protagonist just right and the issues he faces will bring you to the brink of tears.

Keep the tissues handy, you'll need it for this one as well.  My friend Fran gave this book to me at Judy's memorial service, with only the words of caution "probably don't want to read it RIGHT now". As I read it later (as she suggested), I could instantly tell why she cautioned me about reading it in January:  the story is told through the eyes of the family dog.  A wise and loving dog...and I couldn't help but picture Judy's dog, Nemo telling a similar story.  Dogs really are man's best friend!

And the last one for this review...Chains...another book suggested by Ganelle.  A young adult work of historical fiction, it is set in the early days of the Revolutionary War and tells the story of a young slave girl.  I enjoyed the author's perspective and found myself intrigued as I realized what a difficult position slaves were placed in during this time in history.  My only complaint was how the story just ended.  Luckily, the last page alerted the reader that this is book one of a trilogy.  You know what I'll be reading next:  Book Two!

So there ya have it....I can spend hours reading (and yes, my house sometimes reflects that I have done nothing but read all evening).  I enjoy going away on an adventure with a book and look forward to having even more time to read with summer vacation fast approaching (Counting down:  25 days of work left, YEAH BABY!)

Easter reflections

 No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow....Proverb

This winter was long.  Oh no, not in terms of weather.  That was mild.  But the heartache and sadness we all experienced with the passing of Judy....well, that made for a pretty rough winter.

As Easter approached, I really struggled with how I wanted to spend the day.  For the past 12 years, Judy, Eric and their girls joined us here at the House of Chang for a feast.  We always took the time to celebrate.  Should I continue that tradition, knowing that one very important person was not with us this year?  Or, do I use this opportunity to start a new tradition?  Would Eric and the girls want to join us?  This would be the "first" of a year of firsts for them.  

But, in the end, I decided to continue on....with a few changes.

  

 The boys, at 12 and 14 were a huge help in terms of helping get things ready.  My car remains in the shop, which leaves us with NO car.  How do you get groceries home for a meal for 24 people with just a scooter?  Well, you turn to your family for help.  The boys met me at the grocery store with the wagon and hauled the bulky stuff home.  Dom took the rest home in the side car.   I laughed to myself thinking Judy surely would be proud to see us "going green".

Thing Two took care of the cookies, snickering that "With the bow tie on this one, he looks more like the Playboy bunny" (and while I don't have a picture, I too am wondering how does this child know about such things?)

We had to color eggs...for the first time in many years.  I tried many Easters ago to make hard boiled eggs.  I seriously over-cooked the eggs and they turned green.  Not a big deal, since I don't really care for them in the first place I just wouldn't bother coloring eggs.   But, younger Thing LIKES hard boiled eggs.  In years' past, that too was not a big deal as "his Judy" took care of him, bringing over a carton filled with hard boiled eggs just for him.    This year, I managed to cook the eggs "just right" and thus there were no green eggs served with the ham.

 Our driveway was jam packed with cars, so the neighbors were kind enough to let the boys shoot hoops on their driveway.

 In an effort to get guests to sit (instead of the usual habit of standing for hours on end), we cleaned up the garage and had seating for all outside.  

 Vannie took  over the Lish Family tradition of making the bunny cake.

 And at just shy of 1 year old, Cassidy reminded us all that "firsts" aren't always sad occasions.  This marked her first Easter.

So, while we were missing our dear friend Judy, we are moving forward....and celebrating Easter in our traditional style was indeed the right thing to do!

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.                                                Anne Bradstreet

PS:  a final note about the flowers in the top picture.  Those are from MY yard.  Yes, me the brown-thumbed Martha finally had a flower or two to pick from the garden.  I planted the tulips several years ago, but every year either the neighborhood rabbits got to them or a snow storm crushed them before they had a chance to bloom.  This year, they bloomed.  Sometimes our reminders that it will be OK are as simple as the blooming of a tulip.