The best laid plans ....

No greater bond xx

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you have to have a contingency plan.  Either you duck and get out of the way, keep it in your focus and have it land where you need it – or you get smacked in the face.

I am an optimist – a dreamer.  My husband often calls me  'dream maker' – because I try to find ways to inspire and uplift those closest to me, my mind never stops reinventing our path of life ... making lifestyle and career changes, travelling, embarking on inspiring projects ....

That’s also how I came to botanical art.  Mind you it was always there somewhere inside me to explore a path surrounded by a natural world  – as a child I was glued to the sacred beauty of nature and less inclined to follow the crowd.  But my own voice got drowned out as a young woman and for a while I did do what I was expected to ... until I became a mother – and then it didn’t matter what anybody else said or did – this family is my life and they come first.

However there would be nothing I could dream up that could avoid the worst feared reality – that your beloved child has a life threatening illness.    I thought when my beautiful daughter was terribly ill a year ago we were lucky she pulled through and in time became well again ... it was a shock to see her so sick and struggling to get back to normal health.   After that worrying time we all breathed a sigh of relief and slowly moved forward.

So many heart-shaped leaves ...

Would give my heart to you ...

Mine too .....

Nothing could prepare me for the shock of discovering my fit, strong nineteen year old son collapsed, unconscious and barely breathing .     He had been unwell the week prior with a flu, I kept an eye on him and he was feeling much better the night before.  He had the adult responsibilities of university, work, sport and friends - and had managed to get through the week okay - but not on this day ....

After calling the ambulance and racing to hospital with him, the next week was a nightmare - once at the hospital they rushed him through to the coronary care unit where we were eventually told he had complete heart block – and that it may be congenital. Complete heart block occurs when the electrical signal can't pass normally from the atria, the heart's upper chambers, to the ventricles, or lower chambers.  For days he was pumped with drugs to keep his heart beating in the hope the electrical signals would return.  They did not – and he became progressively worse before the cardiac team performed surgery and implanted a permanent pacemaker in his chest wall.  At last we breathed a sigh of relief that his heart was beating regularly – however after MRI's and testing the cardiologist explained he may have a cardiac disease which could affect his heart muscle as well.   He begins a plan of treatment and testing to protect his heart and we have great hopes for success.  As I have seen many times ... miracles can and often do happen.  Our son is an unusual case as he is young and strong - and the hospital see him as something of a medical marvel due to his ability to function with great strength during  the worst scenario.

Ready when you are ...

 Now he is recuperating and trying to get back to some normality, as are the rest of the family.  One of the most restorative things I can do for myself  is to connect with nature ...  plants and animals and music have a way of healing the soul and encouraging hope ...    I don’t want to live in fear of what could happen but to embrace each day as a gift and live it well.   Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring so we resume our hopes and dreams for the future and try to lead by example.  It's difficult to be positive and uplifting when your heart is breaking but as my daughter says "fake it til you make it".  Gratitude is a good place to start and I am so very grateful for the little miracles that happened along the way.

And never forget that anything is possible - dream big!

 "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"