What do you do when you find out your third ear surgery wasn’t the charm after all?  You thank the very good doctor and promise to think about his offer to try again for free, you take comfort in the presence of your husband and 10 year old son who cannot stop hugging you, you have an unexpected but much needed cry at the hotel, and then you go to the mountains.  For us, it was a night in Little Rock followed by a day at beautiful Petit Jean State Park and the exquisite Mount Magazine. Nothing is more healing to my tired little soul than the sight of trees and water and mountains, except for belly laughter with Troy and Huck, and so by nightfall I was quite content.  My eardrum is not complete, but it’s better than it was pre-surgery, and for now that will have to do.  That, and the knowledge that all this beauty is only two hours away.

Plus I get to live with these two:

How lucky am I?