A Gift of Three More Years

Yesterday Neal and I drove to Fife (Road trip - yay!), and on the way I suddenly realized it was the 9th of October. Wow. Three years ago on October 9th, Neal suffered an ascending aortic aneurysm which left him paralyzed below the waist. Five months in various hospitals, multiple surgeries, a subsequent hospitalization for congestive heart failure, plus a heart attack on August 7th of this year - yet here we are. When I mentioned the date to Neal, he said "That's a gift of three more years together." He's right - we had only been married five years by 2005, and every day since our marriage has felt like a gift, even more so since his life was spared that night.
We've had some news this week that I haven't fully dealt with yet, and I am so grateful for prayers that Neal has offered in my behalf as I try to come to terms with all of the potential ramifications.
On a lighter note - while trying to arrange for an appointment with an attorney in Billings next week, our Prepaid Legal referral had given us three different names. Number one said it would be a conflict of interest for them, number two didn't return phone calls, and the third one made an appointment with me but the address seemed odd. Well yes - because it's in Havre Montana, 251 miles and 4 hours north of Billings! I gave up on Prepaid and just called my former bishop who is my favorite attorney in Montana anyway....and he'll help me next Thursday.
I'm looking forward to this trip - a chance to spend some time with my granddaughter and daughter as well as meet her sweetheart, a chance to see some friends, and an opportunity to attend the Billings temple. I love that temple - from before the groundbreaking through the construction to serving there as an ordinance worker for three years - it is a place of refuge for me.