We are spending our Christmas holiday at Oceanside, Oregon, where it is raining nonstop and storming. We have a fire roaring in the fireplace and the beach house is very warm and cozy. I am sipping some Vin Santo, a gift from my yoga student Art.

Many of my readers know that I have been putting my writing energies into Caring Bridge. I post daily about my sister Toni and her struggles post-COVID-19. The virus and COVID-pneumonia have left Toni’s lungs scarred, stiff, damaged. She has fibrosis in her lungs as a result of the virus and is still on life support, not yet able to breathe on her own. Today marks Day 49 of hospitalization. She is on a trache and ventilator and is having trouble being weaned off the respirator.

If you’d like to read my daily posts on Caring Bridge, you can log in here:

Toni Gallo Health Update on Caring Bridge

URL: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tonistrong

Site Name: tonistrong

I am working on personalizing a communication app for Toni. Since Toni had a tracheotomy, she has no voice.  And she cannot write or read. So this app is key to communication. There is one section called Feelings. Basically, Toni will point to a picture and the App will say, “I am tired.” The pictures for the various feelings and emotions are quite simple and not interesting, so I thought to ask my expressive husband to demonstrate the various feelings for me so I can use his photos on Toni’s communication app.  Toni loves Rick and will delight in having his expressions to point to in order to express herself. Rick and I laughed so hard doing this project. I had no idea how wonderfully talented Rick Clark is!  He could have been a stage actor or a film star.  It’s not too late! He’s so good at this. Here are The Many Faces Of Rick:

From left to right, row by row

Bored / Scared / A Little / Angry

Excited / Frustrated / Happy / Enough

Hurt  or Don’t feel good / Tired or Sleepy / Funny or Silly / Sad

And our Christmas photo is the following. Again, we had so much fun doing this. The music sheets wouldn’t stay on my foot so Rick kept saying, “This just isn’t going to work out. Fran? Fran? This IS NOT working out!” So I grabbed some tape and he taped the music to my big toe and voila, it worked!

We laughed so much doing this selfie!

Would you like to see the blooper?  We thought that if I could bend the knee of the leg up in the air, then the music sheet would be easier for Rick to read. Right? The sheet should be lower, but then this happened. The tape would no longer stick to my foot and the music book fell open:

And the Christmas hats were too small for our heads. I am wearing my Christmas hat in the first photo. Rick’s hat kept popping off his head!  “Fran, this damned hat isn’t working! It’s too small for my head. I’m taking it off ” “No, Rick. You have to wear it!”, said I, upside-down.

And so it is Christmas! As I wrote in my Caring Bridge entry yesterday, I am filled with heaps of gratitude this Christmas Season. I am filled with gratitude for the love pouring in for Toni and for all of us deeply affected by her struggles. Toni has taught me the true meaning of kindness. She has taught me the true importance of simplicity. She has taught me to be non-judgemental. She has given me courage to reach out, to give generously and to receive graciously. Toni has given me more gifts this Christmas season than I have ever received in a lifetime. I am humbled beyond humbled. Thank you, dear Toni.

Be safe, everyone! Stay healthy. Continue to wear your mask and just be patient. We will all get our vaccines by next year. Next year, we will make up for the holidays and birthdays spent in isolation.

Merry Christmas from Fran