All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.
-John Gunther

So what do you do to celebrate the tenth week anniversary after open-heart surgery? You are feeling much better. Every day you are gaining more strength and confidence. The scars on your arm, chest, stomach and leg are healing. You can put your shoes on, and you do not need to wear anti-embolism stockings.

To celebrate, Kitch and I joined our friends for breakfast at the Bear Creek Cafe.

For several months we have been trying to plan this visit. Then life took over. First, there was the construction of The Garden of Life in Windsor Park. Then, there was the unplanned cardiac event. That was followed by quadruple by-pass surgery. Then we were involved in a slow but steady recovery. July came, and the Irish Teachers Festival preoccupied our time.

But today was the day. The weather was horrible. A steady rain greeted our departure from home, but it could not and did not dampen our spirits.

At about 9 a.m., Kitch took over the controls of our new Prius, and away we went. The ride was uneventful because for the first time in a long time we knew exactly where we were going. In about 20 minutes we were at the Bear Creek dam, and we turned right on a road that frequently took us to a weekend softball game at Penn Lake. That was a long time ago in another life.

Today it was a rainbow step to the parking lot 100 yards from the intersection, and there it stood in all of its grandeur, a building of historic significance, beautifully restored and surrounded by flowers that sang, “Welcome to a very special place, The Bear Creek Café.”

We carefully parked the car in a spot where it would not be scratched. That's a perfect sign of new car owner neurosis or maybe compulsiveness. Whatever the case, everyone who has ever purchased a new car has it at least for a few weeks or until the first dent.

Then we took a tour of the beautiful container garden outside the cafe. The flowers were tastefully arranged and the cosmos and sunflowers greeted everyone who entered this special place. Once inside the aroma of freshly brewed coffee was oh, so inviting. Our friends John, Virginia, Karlina and Shirley were waiting, and in seconds a waitress appeared to tell us about the menu.

While she talked my eyes wandered all around the room.

What a wonderful experience. What a wonderful place. What a wonderful way to start the day.

The Bear Creek Cafe is colorful, historic, interesting, and picturesque. It is a welcoming place. It is a place of delightful food and special gifts. There are visual pleasures wherever one looks.

A few things caught my eye. The framed poster of the Third Liberty Loan Campaign featuring a Boy Scout with Lancelot’s Sward bearing the inscription, ”Be prepared.” The beautiful stained glass window that looked like a Tiffany original, the marvelous nineteenth century window with colored glass and lead frames that opened the dinning room to the courtyard and gazebo, the oval stained glass window in the gift shop that recorded a bucolic scene of a peaceful river flowing through a canyon, and the marvelous painting of a Ring-Necked Pheasant that spoke to the serenity of this place.

Wherever I looked there was something beautiful that said you are more than welcome here.

Sitting in the main dining room, we were surrounded by people who were having a very good time talking, laughing and enjoying their breakfast.

In the Bear Creek Café, time slows down and people talk to one another. In fact, at the Bear Creek Café you meet people you haven’t seen in years. I looked up and there was Wayne Dwyer. I haven’t seen Wayne since 1979. He is a successful small businessman and an avid Notre Dame fan. When I knew him he was actively involved in local politics and very enthusiastic about the people he admired.

A few moments later the parents of Amy Zaleski stopped to visit. Amy’s Windsor Park Story is one of our most popular episodes. She was in the Legal Department of Longaberger that wonderful handcrafted basket company that lives in a seven-story Longaberger basket in Newark, Ohio. It is without question one of the most unique corporate headquarters in the world. It is a company that represents quality in every sense of the word.

Because of Amy, we got Carte Blanch treatment at one of the most unique companies in America. It was one of the memorable location shoots we have ever had.

Then a group of teachers stopped to visit with Virginia Zikor and wouldn’t you know the daughter of a very old and dear friend was among the group.

Visiting with Barbara Stien brought back wonderful memories of a time when we were energized by the winds of change, and we were determined to infuse new life and a new direction in local politics. The campaign slogan Joe Buckman painted on a campaign car was “A man with a mind of his own and the courage to speak it.” We paid dearly for the honesty of that quote. We lost, but we had a great time trying. Mrs. Stien remembered those days, and she spoke fondly about her father’s role and our friendship with him.

As if these wonderful moments weren’t enough, there is more to share about this wonderful place. The best part of the morning was the food. I swear the waitress brought us the largest and best serving of pancakes I have ever seen. They were simply delicious as was everything else on the menu, and the service was more than one could wish for.

When you are recovering from open-heart surgery, your world is turned upside down. For the first few weeks after surgery you are dependent upon caregivers for help with just about everything. At first you walk slowly, very slowly with assistance of a rehabilitation therapist.

You work to inflate your lung with the help of a therapist and special equipment

You cannot take off your clothes without help. You cannot ride in the front seat of a car because of the possibility of an accident and an air bag damaging the opening in your chest cavity. You are dependent, and you must learn how to be a patient with trust and patience.

Quite frankly there are days when you just want it all to be behind you. There are days when you wonder if you will ever be the same again.

By Week Ten you are stronger and the visual signs of healing are apparent, but you are not ready to run a marathon, nor are you capable, at least I wasn’t, to do all of the things you want to do.

Mentally and physically you need a vacation, but often that is something that must wait as well.

Fatigue remains a constant part of life. Some if it is caused by the operation, a good deal of it is caused by the medications. For me, this was the most frustrating part of recovery, and it remains so today.

A visit to the Bear Creek Café is like going on vacation. That is what we experienced and that is what the manager told us one of his customers, who travels from the Philadelphia area, says to him every time she walks into the smaller dining room that faces the creek behind the restaurant.

Since our initial visit we have returned to the Bear Creek Café every week. That’s four times and every visit was just wonderful. Bill Gaydos, Vince Genovese, Atty. George Spohrer and Joe Haberski will give testimony to that fact.

During our visit with Joe, a former student 1968, we met another former student, Mary Letoski McCabe ‘86 and her dad. What a wonderful surprise. What a wonderful reunion.

On another occasion we met the McNulty family. They were having breakfast, and enjoying every moment of their girls’ morning out.

If truth be told every time we have occasion to celebrate we do it over breakfast or lunch in the Bear Creek Cafe

It is a place like no other, and we are fortunate to have it for people like me and many others who want to put their troubles and challenges behind them if only for a short time while they enjoy the ambience of this welcoming, joyful, peaceful treasure nestled among the huge pine trees and alongside a rambling creek that bears its name.

Oprah is right:

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

Thank you John.

Thank you Virginia.

Thank you Karlina.

Thank you Shirley.

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