Coventina's Christmas Letter

[Coventina]

I just got one too many form letters from "friends" this year.
Everything in here is true. It may sound painful, but hey, if we can't laugh at ourselves, life gets pretty dreary.


December 2003

Dear Family and Friends,

One of the things I so love about the Christmas season is receiving your beautiful cards (Thomas Kincade! How charming!) and form letters. I’m so glad to hear that all of you and all your kids are doing so well.

This past year has been a very busy one for me. As most of you will know, my mother died on June 10th of her long-term illness. Her passing was not peaceful, easy or dignified, but a long, horrific ordeal with convulsions. I am happy to say that six months later I have almost quit having nightmares, and my stomach upsets and irritable bowel are almost under control.

The researcher who took Mother’s brain when she died told us that there are so many people dying of odd dementias, that they have a backlog of brains to study. Therefore, we can expect to find out what exactly killed her sometime in 2006.

While at Mother’s funeral home visitation, I received news that there was a suspicious growth shown on my mammogram. This resulted in a surgery for me in early August. I am happy to say the tumor was benign. I was told that because of my chronic breast disease, I can look forward to repeated surgeries like this one before I (hopefully) die of old age.

The SO and I are still living in his modest, two bedroom town home. We have decided that it fits our lifestyle better to live close to all the arts and culture of downtown, than to buy the biggest house we could afford out in the soulless wastelands of urban sprawl.

SO is still working for the big company, where he won a prestigious award. This resulted in a company paid trip for us to Las Vegas, Sin City! I was able to get drunk at the company's expense, and take part in a mild political protest by refusing to stand for Lee Greenwood’s “Proud To Be An American” at the awards ceremony. So all in all, a satisfactory trip, although we did have to fly, which did cause me some anticipatory nightmares and a few tears on takeoff.

I am still working for next to nothing at the college, although in the Bush economy I am just thankful I have a job with health insurance. However, I am hoping that if I’m lucky, I may eventually get a Master’s degree in Art History, which will secure my financial future!

The eggs in my ovaries are another year older, as I continue to debate whether it is right to bring children into this overpopulated, polluted, dangerous and self-destructive world.

I am hoping to get this in the mail today, although I am not sure it will be possible. My ten year old Suzuki Sidekick died on me yesterday, and I have not heard from my mechanic yet how much it is going to cost me and when I will be mobile again.

I see I am out of room, so I will end here. Again, so glad to hear from you! Thank God this year is almost over!
Love,
Coventina

[oneighty]

1. Was a Time

I got a real one much like that each year as did everyone in our 1952 graduating class-with pictures! One of his many ills caught up with him.

RIP Joe.

180

[Lars39]

2. That is a helluva year, Coventina.

I'm sorry about your mother's passing on. :hug:
Taking the time to reflect on the absolute shittiest times of our lives is one of those necessary evils(or at least they were for me).

To look back at a period of time and realize that x,y,and z (and a lot more of the alphabet) occured within a certain time frame helps with the realization that:

1. gdammit, there's a reason why I'm on the verge of a meltdown!
2. how in the hell did I survive all THAT?
3. I must be stronger than I thought.
4. now you know who matters in your life and who doesn't.
5. things will get better.

I usually never realized how bad everything was until there was a lull long enough to catch a deep breath.

Take care,
Lars