church folk
This weekend I gathered with church folk.
From a retirement community
to my home
to Aberdeen Park
From windmill cookies
to handmade energy bites
to pizza
to warm frosted brownies
to frozen mango chunks (my hastily procured contribution)
From health updates
Snippets of conversations I had with others
he refuses to use a walker and has asked that we don’t talk on our walks but his recovery [from open heart surgery] is going well. “Full disclosure”: he confessed that he fell once while I was in the garden.
my son showed up with a small dolly with this chair that came from an estate sale, but J—— doesn’t like these kinds of big recliners. I like it because I can keep my foot raised which helps.
[the cat] has not been eating as much lately. He wants me to follow him to the bedroom and lay down with him after meals. “How old is he?” I think he’s about 15 years.
I get a call at 12:30 a.m. at night . . . the hospital bill from a mandatory emergency room visit after my father fell out of bed was $28,000. They’re not allowed to put “restraints” on the bed to keep the residents from falling.
after a year of not feeling right, the doctor finally took a blood test when my knee developed sharp pain which was diagnosed as arthritis. That’s when K—- (wife and health professional) said to ask if they could check for Lyme. If it hadn’t been for that one specific symptom, we still wouldn’t know. It’s getting better now.
to a year-long home renovation that included a new HVAC system and a “gently used rug” exchange that regrettably was more than “gently” used. :sheepishly;: The stains did not match the rest of the room. We took the Facebook marketplacer up on her offer to retrieve it if the rug wasn’t right.
to travel plans that include the South Korea v South African World Cup Match in Mexico.
Books were also exchanged.
Reflections on my contributions to the book exchange
My copy of A Free Life by Ha Jin was selected by a fellow parish member. I read it so long ago, the lasting memory of this book is an introduction to Falun Gong, a religious movement that conjures images of people moving slowly, deliberately and collectively in public spaces near dawn.
Although, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was not taken, I discovered that it is the first of a trilogy. I will place an audiobook hold for summer travels.
I just now realized that Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah was not left on the table. I hope the new owner recognizes the intensity of these short stories and braces themself when / if reading before bedtime.
I held 2 newborn babies.
They fell asleep. 🙌🏽 (not to brag)
