Happy 2010

I'm back. It's 2010. The year 2009 has been a year of changes. I've had many personal issues to deal with but everything is falling together opposed to falling apart. Sometimes a crisis or event will create a higher notch on the post compelling that you deal with it. Separating from my wife of 40 plus years has been very difficult. I have been her caregiver for 15 years. It has been my life. Thanks to the support of family, friends and professional support groups, I was able to move ahead and make the right decision regarding her care. Seeing your loved one move from home into an environment of institutionalized care is difficult to cope with. You know they won't get the personalized care you gave. It's all about trust. You have put trust in the professionals whose responsibility it is to provide the level of care you couldn't. It's difficult but not impossible. Vivian adjusted. She is bonded to her new caregivers. It is now her home. She doesn't want to come back to me. She knows me and wants to see me but she doesn't remember home. She doesn't ask about it. Everything is different for her. She is content.

I touched on this subject in the story "Bridge over the Valley" when I interviewed one of our local intensive care nurses. They deal with this all the time. Families have to trust that the professionals can care for their sick and injured loved ones better than the family can. It is all about trust. In the book, Joey's mother Lana, had to overcome her fears and relinquish control over her son. She had to place her trust in the hospital's nursing staff. It was hard for her to let go. Little did I realize that in just a few months after writing that piece about Lana and her son, I would be experiencing the very same emotions as my character Lana.

I spent Christmas with family and friends. It wasn't so happy without Vivian. We did the best we could. After everyone left me on New Year's day, I decided to take a short train trip. I took Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from Oceanside to Fullerton, had a great lunch and caught the 2:30 p.m. southbound home. It was an adventure I could write about. I had already included several train adventure stories in the original manuscript but the editor politely suggested they be deleted. I complied and there wouldn't have been any room for this one. First of all, the train from San Diego was over 30 minutes late because a passenger pulled the emergency brake as the train left the station. The train, headed for Santa Barbara, was packed with holiday travelers returning home. They parked us in a siding at San Onofre for 30 minutes waiting for a Metrolink train. They said it was because we were late and Metrolink didn't want their train to be late. It was us or them. Meanwhile a girl alledgedly without a ticket evaded the conductor by locking herself in the downstairs bathroom. Some handicapped passengers didn't have access and were complaining. The next stop was San Juan Capistrano and the crew called for the Sheriff to meet the train and evict the passenger. Orange County Sheriff obliged and two over-weight sheriff's deputies escorted this young well-dressed black girl off the train. We left there over an hour late. At least we didn't hit anybody. Go Amtrak!

Oh! My book isn't quite done. My publicist is waiting for that single one-liner from the media that will top off the back page. The galley's are all sent and I hope they are being critically read. I think a March release date is still within reason. What we need now is patience.