Ever had one of those weeks?, ...years?, ...lives?!?

This past week has been an interesting one with many ups and downs. 
On Wednesday we returned home after a WONDERFUL visit with our good friends at their cabin near Ely only to discover that our water heater (new in 1991) was leaking badly.  Since we do not have a drain in the floor of our cellar, we had to turn the heater off and we have been living without hot water since Thursday morning.  Try washing dishes by heating water in a tea kettle and pouring it in the sink.  Back to the "good old days"!  Add to that, no showers.  Guess we know a bit about what things were like when the house was built in 1904.  Today we are finally getting a new heater installed. Yea!!!
Then on Friday, I returned home from my acupuncture appointment all relaxed and feeling good only to find a bill in the mail from the hospital where I get my acupuncture done saying I owed almost $1000.00.  And, they did not include the sessions done in June or July.  Jim got on the phone and was able, after a few phone calls, to figure out it was their mistake and I should not have to pay that amount!  Again, Yea!!!
It is times like this that I tend to look back on the year I was diagnosed with AIDS.  I remember all too well the weeks spent in the hospital with a fever of 105 wondering if I would live to see the sunrise the next day.  I remember being afraid and feeling alone, even with Jim steadfastly at my side.  I was scared because the only people I had known with AIDS had died.  I remember my recovery at home, at first too weak to go outside and see the flowers blooming.  I remember going back to work and being afraid of how my coworkers would react when I told them of my diagnosis.  And I remember the look on my mother's face when I told her knowing that she was afraid she might loose her youngest son.
Although all of this has been extremely stressful, I am able to think about how I do really consider myself to be lucky and I really can't complain (too much).  I am alive and for the most part, healthy.  I have a fabulous husband by my side who is willing to offer love, support and assistance when I am in need.  I have terrific friends and family who's love and care often surprises me.  I have a nice home and there is money in the bank.  I am still able to travel and see the world.  Plus, right now the tomatoes are ripening, the cucumbers are growing and rest of the vegetables are doing well in spite of the strange summer we have had.  And, our city is not being bombed, we have freedom and I am legally married to the person I love.  All in all, life really is not too shabby.
Now, on to fix the rest of the world!!!!