Every day is a miracle.
      It is a blessing.
      One year ago today, I nearly lost the love of my life.
      I could write about the long night we spent, tossing and turning because he was obviously sick and in pain, but had convinced himself it was just gas. I could write about weeping into my pillow, worried that he was going to die. I could write about finally taking him to the hospital and how good his spirits were as they got him settled into a room of the ER for observations. I could write about how suddenly that changed to barely concealed fear when one of the nurses whispered something and suddenly the closet-sized room exploded into activity with a dozen people coming in and out, hooking up electrodes and IVs and bringing in all manner of devices.
      I remember calling his mother. I remember waiting by myself – not for lack of people willing to come sit with me, but for my own stubborn pride – in the waiting room. Some strange lady, whose daughter was also experiencing a cardiac event, could tell I needed a hug and just came up and held me. I remember being so absurdly grateful for her.
      At first, the doctors told us not to worry. It was a cardiac event, but minor. And then, as time went on, they told us that it was a major event. That as much as 60% of his heart muscle was dead. That a full recovery was not very likely and that if we had waited any longer to come to the ER, he would have died.
      Widow Maker.
      That’s what they call it when someone has blockage in the place he had it. It kills something like 90% of the time.
      So yeah, every single day since April 26th, 2012, is a blessing.
      I’m proud of my husband, he who was just my fiancé back then. He has achieved a full recovery. The muscle they feared was dead was really just “stunned” and has come back, doing its job admirably. He hasn’t smoked a cigarette since then (one year!). He’s had fried food about two or three times. We are still working on weight loss, but we’re eating clean much more these days – cutting out grains and sugar, adding it more and more vegetables and healthy fats. We did great last summer, with being more active, but since Mark took this new job and our hours never overlap, we are off-track on that.
      But there’s time now, time to improve, to keep working.
      And we treasure it more. Every minute we get to be together, finally man and wife, is a blessing. Did I say that already? Redundant, maybe, but so true.
      One year has elapsed.
      Here’s to 50 more.
      Love you, Mark.