This post is a departure from my usual theme here at No Pain, No Grain. Well, sort of a departure.

My mother has been in the hospital for almost three months today, having had a heart attack, multiple stent placements, and multiple bypasses in her heart arteries and leg arteries. Through all this she was found to be allergic to a common blood thinner and nearly bled out and died during one of the procedures. The latest procedure was a bypass in one of her leg arteries. That incision became infected with E. coli.. She underwent her second debridement on the incision area day before yesterday. She is now lying in a hospital bed in a lot of pain. She has never made any great steps forward in recovery. We have said our goodbyes just in case she doesn't recover, but I live in hope.

My mother has atherosclerosis, though she wasn't aware of this until her heart attack. It is this scenario that I am trying to avoid for myself, and my children, by eating in a Primal/Paleo/Low Carb way. I do not want this to be the future for any of us, and I wish I had a way to turn back time and eat and live the way we have been in the last few years. Hindsight, as they say...

So today, after speaking with my mother on the phone, I stumbled upon (by chance) a note she had given me some time ago, long forgotten. It was given to me during a sad and tumultuous time in my life, before my divorce. My mother and I have a very close relationship, and I had been telling her that I had no joy anymore...I was depressed and just going through the motions of living, but not really living. This note was her gift to me. She is a woman of great faith.

As we approach Resurrection Day this Sunday, I thought sharing this now couldn't be more appropriate. My mother may be going "home" soon, but I know her legacy of love and joy will live on. Excuse the typos (Mom is not much of a typist). The mistakes didn't matter to me, as this was a personal note between she and I...but it is too good not to let others see it. So, without further adieu...(click to enlarge)