IT HURTS

There is sadness at The Home tonight. The reasons are minor in light of tragedies throughout our world, but they are painful here. I’ve always said that the worst pain in the world is the one I am currently experiencing. While that’s not true, it feels like it. We are pretty self-focused. It really is all about us.

Beth got exceptionally bad news about her inability to swallow solid foods and as a result has great difficulty eating. They cannot repair the problem. I know she told me why it cannot be done, but I focused on her loss. She will function predominately on a liquid diet. They will continue to monitor her situation and I am praying for the best.

Margaret has had some seizures at night and they do not know why. She left today for a three-day stay (hopefully) in a hospital where they will induce the seizure to try and figure it out. She is very frightened. Two friends accompanied her since she must be watched all the time.

Chas went to visit his sister today. She lives about 150 miles away. Because he is wheelchair bound he finds transportation – economical transportation – a challenge. He has a buddy with a van who took him. It is a cargo van and has no windows. While the chair was strapped down, his body was rocked back and forth. He could see out the front a bit, but got nauseated and had to lay down as soon as he returned. His sister works for a nursery and he went to pick up flowers for his garden.

Anna is my upstairs neighbor. She is a dog. She was taken out at about 11:00 this morning for a regular walk and drop. However, while coming down the stairs she fell and broke one of her front legs in two places. Gail rushed her to the vet where she was given the sad news and asked what she wanted to do. Anna is sixteen-years-old. Her bones are brittle. He could cast the leg but with her problems the vet could not promise the leg would heal. Gail asked if it was time to make the difficult decision. He said it was. Anna went to doggie heaven. Gail had Anna all sixteen-years. She was a wonderful companion and a terrific dog. She enjoyed people and she was very friendly always looking forward to seeing the other residents. I will miss her running up to see me when we are in the hall. She has suffered from something the past three weeks. This normally quiet dog began barking the minute Gail left and would not stop until her returned.

All these pains are very real to the ones experiencing them. They are not the worse pains one can face, but they are the present pains. We all share in their sense of loss. Beth will struggle, but she will function. We still do not know about Margaret and will not know for a few days. Many are frightened with her. Chas, well, he’ll get over his tiredness. Gail and her family will heal. Anna is out of her pain.

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. We care. That is we care about everyone except Chas. I have one thing to say to him: GET OVER IT!