Ruth Nieves

I can exhale now...I feel as if a weight has been lifted and I can breathe! It feels so good. I've been running uphill for three weeks now and I have finally reached the top, the peak and I can finally, breathe...wow, what an amazing feeling! I read somewhere that life comes in waves...peaks and valleys. One minute you are soaring and the next you are gasping for air. I know that things might change tomorrow. I am not naive. But I will enjoy this moment. I will enjoy the freedom it brings...the freedom to laugh and sleep. When you are in the valley and finally reach your peak, all of the little things that used to bother you don't anymore. They don't matter. You see things differently. You laugh differently.You see your spouse differently, your children. The day is brighter. I have come to understand that the same God that is with me when I reach the top, the peak, is the same God that is with me in my valley experiences. I have learned that I am not alone when I feel alone...

This week has been a week of intense emotion on many different levels. My husband was hospitalized after a misdiagnosis that could have been almost fatal had we not persisted in getting him to a different hospital. What should have been a minor procedure of removing a sick appendix turned out to be much worse because of the lapsed time between the misdiagnosis and the actual diagnosis. To see my husband, a strong and independent man, healthy and beautiful so drained and sick, made me sad and angry. I could not understand why this was happening, especially to him. During the surgery, I get a call from my mother that my youngest was sick with a fever. I was so torn and could not seem to take it anymore. My insides were a mess and all I wanted to do was scream, run and breakdown. I did cry, and thankfully, I had two really good friends by my side that encouraged me and really helped me along. My husband ended up staying in the hospital for an entire week, due to the infection and post-op...