Turning Dispare Into Miracles

Wow, 2023 will forever be dubbed as miracles that come in disguise, at least in the world of me.

My husband had a massive heart attack on January 15, 2023 and was life flighted to Vanderbilt Hospital, where I was witness, via a video camera inserted into his wrist, to the second his life was saved. It was earth moving, life changing to watch his heart start beating again. I will never get over it. Farmer Rick looked at me and said, “Hi Honey,” and I looked back lovingly and said, “Don’t hi honey me after that show you just put on,” LOL. He is doing wonderful now, all clear from the trouble he gave us at the beginning of the year. The first recognized miracle of ‘23.

Then came the break-out bleeding that put him back in the hospital a few weeks later, due to the heavy blood thinners they put him on while he heals from the stent. Now, I watch him go about his day with such care for fear that his usual “bull in a china palace” way of moving will scratch him and cause bleeding and a return back to Vanderbilt. Rick was in the habit of breaking a few glasses and plates per month, hence the constant buying of new pottery … but now … no new pottery needed … the second recognized miracle of ‘23.

A few weeks after the bleeding episode, we inherited his sister, now living under our roof and needing our help. That was an adjustment, because we have a wee house to go with our wee farm, only 1500 square feet of comfort and love. With my father living here at times, and now my sister in law, well, the walls are bulging, BUT, we now have someone to help with my dad when we have to hit the road and go on tour … the third recognized miracle of ‘23. My father, whom I call Little Daddy, had an issue where he couldn’t relieve himself on April 1st- a lousy April fools joke indeed. So, I thought it was a UTI, as he is a grand 86 years old. My brother took him to the ER where I was thinking they would give him a dose of antibiotics, but instead, they did lots of tests, and had his family doctor tell me they were recommending hospice because they thought the spots in his bladder were cancerous. I grieved and cried my way through a week of hell, and was in Florida trying to get ready for a show, when my brother called and said it was a stone, not cancer … the fourth recognized miracle of ‘23.

On April 11th, I got the call I knew would someday come, that my mother had succumbed to dementia. After a tearful trip eleven hours down the road, by myself, because Farmer Rick, my husband had to stay to help his sister, I realized the kindness and mercy of my God in taking my mother the way He did, continued on page 8

Donna is the IBMA Songwriter of the year for 2016, And 2017 Song of the Year winner. She was also the 2018 SPBGMA Songwriter of the year. Her latest CD, Livin’ Large, on Blueboy Records, was released in February 2022. DonnaUlisse.com

Continued from page 6 in her sleep … the fifth recognized miracle of ‘23.

When I got to Yorktown, Virginia where my family is, I was met by all those I grew up around. Loving arms enfolded me like the warmest of blankets and together we got through the sadness of the loss of my mother by rejoicing instead of falling apart. My three brothers, their wives and children, and my many cousins, got together lots of evenings during the three weeks I was there, and laughed our way through precious memories, and made me realize a life well lived lives on past our deaths … the sixth recognized miracle of ‘23.

When I finally came back to the Wee Farm after three and a half weeks away, I had heard a great record playing on the radio that I had forgotten about with all the stuff swirling around me and it hit the charts. My gratitude for music has never been more appreciated. Music heals, and breathes, and keeps giving light to areas of my soul I had thought went dark. Like a dedicated tortured artist, I started writing songs about what I was going through, and connected with other musicians and writers, and started filling in all the gaps between caretaking and grieving, and ta da … the seventh recognized miracle of ‘23.

Now I’m here, in June of ‘23, a survivor of bad things, but I made a conscious decision to look at them as good things, and through that decision, I am healing and laughing and loving life because each one of these things is as much a part of living as all the sunshine and butterflies. We dance to get through each day, right? I’m making mine a happy dance, a stomping good time. So, someone hit the intro to Uncle Pen, so I can kick up my heels, and I hope to recognize the rest of the miracles of ‘23.

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THIS MONTH’S FEATURE: By

Greg Tutwiler