Natura nihil frustra facit

 Movement hurts still.  This is a situation which will correct itself as I improve and move more, with the delightful twist that it will hurt when I move!  I’m gradually learning how to sit up longer (15 minutes now) in a chair, and I’ve been taking longer and longer walks (5 minutes) and I no longer need assistance in getting off the bed.  I’m told that this is going in the right direction, even if it feels minimalist and that my 9-month-old nephew is a more coordinated walker than I am!!   I’m more comfortable using the walker and moving around, although I need to sleep for a while after — my legs feel like unset jello and if I’ve done many walks in a day, I have been hitting my pain pump like a whack-a-mole!  I’m being transitioned off the pump and back onto pills in the hope that my pain will be more effectively managed and I won’t need to carry a little motorized bag wherever I go!  I still have high hopes of being able to travel to visit my family next winter.  Bubble popping is not allowed, thank you all very much for your understanding.

Today’s thought is that I will be transferred to a rehab facility briefly before being allowed to go home with support.  I would prefer to skip rehab and do the work from my home, where I will be at home and comfortable.  We will see — the goal remains culling lobsters for my birthday, providing that reopening continues as planned.

Men experience happiness and misery by turn. No man ever enjoys unmixed happiness. A wise man, possessing high wisdom, knowing that life has its ups and downs, is neither filled with joy nor with grief. When happiness comes, one should enjoy it, and when misery comes one should bear it. –   Vrihi Drounika Parva, Aranya Parva

Yes, I know, I’m mixing literary traditions.   But when you consider that “everything happens for a reason” (loosely translated) and “enjoy happiness when it comes” you grasp a level of universality in literature.  I also wanted  to touch on the ideas of the works of mercy, which relate to the times when we looked after “the least of these” when we stand at the last day.  They include, feeding the hungry, giving a drink to those who are thirsty, visiting the sick and imprisoned, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless and burying the dead.  Doing any of them is part of carrying out your duty as a Christian, but I wanted to highlight some acts done by people who are examples of what this means.

There was an Arabic woman on my ward, whose command of English was weak.  She was accompanied by her son, who remained as her translator and support during her stay.  He’s 24, and the eldest at home, the youngest being 5.  They were here for about a week, and he never left her side for longer than a few minutes.  I, and everyone else, was impressed by his devotion to his mother, who is also a young woman.  He translated the discussions with the doctors and nurses, comforted her, fed her, walked with her through her rehab, prayed almost ceaselessly and maintained a good sense of humour.  I was very happy when they finally went home.  She remained shy and quiet throughout, but he would sometimes joke with me and others and told his mother that we were wishing her well.  

Then my dear friend, who I’ve known for several years, but not particularly closely, showed up one day after hearing of my hospitalization.  They have managed to drop off a small token almost daily for me.  It’s a beautiful surprise to get a bag of chips out of nowhere 😂 but it’s there most days, and I’ve started to look forward to that little spark of joy that gets me out of bed and into physiotherapy.  As much as I have started to enjoy these small acts of kindness, I hope that I can and will be able to reciprocate if the occasion arises, not that I wish anyone to be ill!

I’ve been given more “homework” it’s unusual, and requires some in-depth prayer and meditation, but I think that I would be within the rules to ask for your interpretation.  I was asked to identify to which of the saints I feel closest, and what of their virtues draws me nearest.  This needs some thought.  The saints who are most frequently invoked by me are St. Anthony (on the average moment when I lose something important) and I am searching for it the first time; St.  Jude, when I seek to recover something lost or missing;  The Immaculate Conception and the Sacred Hearts for their general protection and their help while I’m preparing for daily life.  Can you think of virtues that I need to develop or strengthen?  This may help me become a better person overall.  

I have some ideas, but I’ll wait until I see your thoughts — my ideas may be perfect for my vision of myself, and not my reality!  Many thanks, as always, and I’ll let you know what they decide to do with me and rehab or home.  Talk later! 😘