Happy Monday everyone! I had something kind of neat that happened last week and I thought I'd share to give you all a little smile. It really is a happy story, keep reading.
As of this writing, I'm in my mid-40s and have lost some really important people to me, namely my parents and my grandparents. Five people. The five people that were probably the most instrumental in forming me into the person I am. I'm grateful I had them for as long as I did, but I miss them every day. Especially my mom. She's around though, and I get little hellos from her from time to time, which always brings a smile.
Marilyn Ruzicka, otherwise known as my mother, spent her entire professional life, until she retired at 72, in Blood Banking. She was working at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital when my sister and I were born back in the mid-70s, and when she retired in 2014, she worked at Memorial Southwest. Besides some small part time roles she took to help put Leslie and I through college, these were the only positions she held. This woman was not a job hopper! Anyway, in the grand scheme of things, she had a passion for her work and instilled in Leslie and me how important it was to donate blood. As an adult, I've had issues with passing certain requirements and have seldom been able to donate. It's always emotional for me because it was important to her. She was an easy woman to please and always proud of us, so I'm not sure why I get so hung up on the failure of it, but I did/do. Fast forward to this past week when my office was sponsoring a blood drive. I always sign up if there's the opportunity. Always. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, I am usually turned away because of low iron levels. This time, I'm happy to report, I was not. In fact, my levels were good enough to give double red cells, so I was feeling pretty awesome. The ladies there at the blood drive were great, and they talked me through what to expect after donating the extra, like to eat a full meal, not work out for 24 hours, all the little warnings they give you. Then they handed me a little brochure to take with me that had all my readings from the screening.
Guess what it said?
The next time I'm eligible to donate blood is October 29th, my mom's birthday. Big smile, a little teariness, then a quick text to my sister, in that order. I love you too, mom.
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