A lovely day.

Alas, after the cold weather, and long dark nights of winter, it felt like I have a new lease in life again.

It's Spring!

There definitely is a noticeable change in my mood and behavior as the cold gloomy days of winter recede and the warm sunny days of spring arrive. I can quickly feel that charge to my blood when I open my eyes today and see the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the flowers are blooming.

The best things about spring are warmth, fresh blooms, and the birds.

Oh the birds.

One of the most anticipated events of spring time for me are when the birds arrive home from their winter vacations, bringing with them their pleasant chirps and familiar songs and I get a load of it just outside my window where there are a flurry of activities. Our neighbor has a bird feeder hanging in her backyard and I could just stay in my bed and watch a variety of birds in feeding frenzy, while the squirrels eats whatever fell to the ground.

Today I saw several trees already full with blooming flowers. It's amazing how the scenery changes so abruptly as their blossom with wonderful brilliant colors creates a picture perfect scene for all to enjoy. It seems like the old and dreary days is nothing but a distant memory.

Also, the countryside wakes up from its long, lonely sleep. I can see tractors in the fields again. The cows are back in the fields, released from their long captivity in their winter sheds. Ducks and geese waddle along the lake, the grass is a rich dark green when they were just brown a week ago.

Each of the seasons has a beauty of its very own, but spring is special - it is the renewal of life and the promise of what's to come.

Welcome, Spring!

Freak injury.

Of course, I know that finger injuries are very common and can occur in a variety of ways.

The most common of which could involve getting a finger caught in a car door or hitting it with a hammer.

Or get caught in a drill, like what happened to me!

Oh, I also believe that the occurrence of an injury at work is an unlikely event. I am one of those people who think that workplaces are generally safe places to spend 7 or 8 hours of your day.

But when I injured my finger last week, I become more conscious of my surrounding and how I go about my work. I would check where the machines are plugged and how I can turn it off in case I need to.

When my finger got caught in the drill, I cannot turn the machine off because I can't locate the off switch, and the machine was plugged way out in the back where I cannot reach because I can't move with my hand stuck to the drill press. When help come they have to loosen the drill bit and not pull it out of my finger for fear of damaging it further.

When I finally removed the drill bit myself, my first line of defense is accessing just how much damage I have done to it. The pain was just over whelming. It was throbbing all the way to the emergency.

Upon my arrival at the hospital, they evaluated the wound, my vital signs was taken and an X-ray of my finger was ordered by the physician.

Result? Broken finger and a cut artery.

They also injected my hand a large dose of anesthesia just so they can clean my finger, squeeze out blood and apply medication to it. I was in too much pain that a light touch would send me squirming and twitching.

Since the doctor finds a fracture on the X-ray I was referred to an Orthopedic doctor to treat my fracture. But those guys in the emergency had my finger splinted and the doctor prescribed me pain medicine.

I was back to work after a day's rest. The company assign me a lighter job which allows me to work one-handed.

Reminiscing.

Ken brought home a box last week which her mom had set aside for him. He told me each kid had one.

Ken call it a Pandora's box. I call it a treasure box.

As I sort through the contents of the box, I was struck at how much information it gave me about my husband's past and what influenced or formed him who he is today.

Inside the box is his baby book, his "first" achievement records( first word, first solid food, first ride, first toy, etc.), his school notes and drawings, old pictures, and a lot more... its like a window into his past. A window into the spirit of his childhood. There are so much memories inside that box that are captured forever in pictures and scribbled notes.

But they don’t end there. Her mom had wonderfully chronicled Ken's achievements from toddler to young adulthood that we can both looked fondly back. There was an honorable and dignified shot of Ken receiving his first communion, the time he was an altar boy, when he was drafted to the army, and many more that elicit smile even from him as he looked through them.

There’s indeed something about memories that stirs and inspires the soul. I am sure glad that my mother-in-law took special effort to keep all these memorabilia of her seven kids as they are the most accessible and detailed physical forms of memories. It makes for easy reminiscing if one is in the mood. It may be bittersweet to gaze back at the past, as they have the power to conjure up memories. Sometimes painful, but it can be a joyful activity too. The box was filled with faces and places of times long gone.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then that box is worth a dictionary.

Ken just lost his mom. She may not be beside us again, but what she left us can help us at least momentarily feel close to her again. Not to mention that as mortals ourselves, we hope that our loved ones will look back at pictures of us with the same fondness after we pass on from this life.

Thank you Joan for this wonderful gift. You will always be remembered.

Another funeral.

Today we buried Joan Roger Mikolai.

It was also her birthday.

She was 83 years old.

My mother-in-law died last Saturday. It was unfortunate that I did not get to know her well but from what I heard from people at the church, I knew that her life was rich, strong, and full of spirit and love.

The service was simple with her family and friends gathered round.