Well another week is upon us, and with the start of this week I can now officially say that next week we leave for the Americas!! I cannot believe that it is almost here but I am relieved that it is!! It has started out as a fairly good day - considering it is Monday! I confess that it is probably the first Monday in a very long time that I have started with a relatively clean, tidy and organised home. This always makes a difference to the general happiness levels of everyone.
I journey out for the school run, which for this morning was actually a happy one. Someone had told me there was something for me to collect in the office so I remember to go past and get it. It is always hard to see people's compassion in their eyes when they look at you, some days it seems harder. Today was one of those days - which took me by surprise. The girl at the office was genuinely very kind and the heart always feels genuine care. She told me that they were praying for our family, offered to have the kids if we ever needed it, and promised to cuddle them lots during the weeks that we were away. Trying hard to keep myself in check, I mean afterall I am standing in the middle of the high school office, surrounded by pimples and hormones!! I am passed an envelope which I assume is a card with kind words expressed in it. I walk back to my car, not wanting to read it on the way, and hoping to make it back to the car without the floodgates of my eyes opening up. Success!! Hop in the car, open the envelope and before I even read the words of kindness I begin to weep. There in the envelope was a substantial amount of money. Money from someone who we are only just beginning to know. No amount of words can express how that makes you feel. I am overwhelmed with gratitude!! To finish off the morning of kindness, the receptionist at the doctor's surgery had cooked us dinner for tonight. I don't think I can ever express how much of a relief it is to not have to think about dinner after a busy day/week!!
Martin has declared that he has had a good nights sleep. I am not sure exactly when the average of 'a good nights sleep' dropped from 8 hours down to 4, but alas he did have a straight 4 hour stretch of sleep - which really is good!
Today's agenda - a visit from Blue Care nursing, a hair cut for Martin and another bi-weekly visit to the doctors. I have to confess that I find the constant stop start of our days exhausting. Quick jobs take twice the average time and I long to have a long uninterrupted day at home! Still I remind myself that my burden in this journey is light compared to that which my husband is carrying. We joke now that I am being paid (if Centrelink is ever processed) to be his nurse and so I have no right to whinge. If I tell myself that I am currently employed, working from home, then I allow myself a little bit of slack when it comes to the ironing pile or the floors that scream out to be introduced to the mop!!
As is often the case, Jasmine and the Blue Care nurse arrived at our doorstep within about 5 minutes of each other. Blue Care was genuinely trying to be nice and fulfill a service to us, but we were both a little bit unappreciative. I am not sure whether it is because she kept implying that in a little while Martin would no longer be able to shower without them, or whether it is because she wanted to measure our bathroom and toilet for the hand rails that he is going to need. Maybe it was her suggestion that Martin be fitted with a 'line' that allows me to inject him with morphine during the night, or perhaps it was just the general feeling she gave us that he was already needing to pick out his coffin. Whatever it was that made us unappreciative, we were glad when the visit ended. We can always scold ourselves for our ingratitude later.
Jasmine went to work on Martin's hair. Words cannot express my gratitude. He had threatened to take the razor to it himself and shave it off. Usually I don't mind this look - it highlights his beautiful blue eyes, but now with him looking so gaunt and pale I fear it will make him look like Patrick Swayze in his final images that were seen in New Idea! We giggle to ourselves about the different groups that are made on Facebook, the latest one that made me laugh was "On a scale of 1 to Tiger Woods how angry are you". I told Martin that we could start on that says "On a scale of 1 to Patrick Swayze how sick are you"? I know it is probably a bit poor in taste, but we do try and find whatever humour in our circumstance. So on the judgement of not wanting to look like Pat, Martin has allowed Jasmine to give him a nice hair cut. And the result was very handsome.
It is the first day in a few days that Martin has had a slightly pink colour to his face. It is nice to see that change. Some days he is grey, others he takes on a slightly green tinge, but for now I am enjoying seeing some healthy flesh on his cheeks!!
Everyone has gone home and it is just Martin and I. I decide that with the house in order I am going to retreat to my creative zone and do some scrapbooking. This is something that I have not done for such a long time. It did seem to take a little time for that side of my brain to engage but once it did I didn't want to stop! Alas, the school day is not long enough, so needless to say - it stopped!!
The last of the 'day of blessings' came in the form of a juicing machine!! One form of natural therapy is to drink lots of carrot and orange juices. The kids are terribly excited as we unwrap the gift, and while we all know it is predominately for Martin, we are all very blessed by it. Such a family gathering of placing bits of fruit down the shute and watching it flow out of the nozzle into the jug! I need to go back to the mindset of a child, where every day there is wonder in the simple things!!
The day was going well. The Nurse of Death had been and gone, Martin was looking handsome again, I had indulged in a little me time, dinner was organised and the bi-weekly doctor's appointment was cancelled (Martin was feeling too good to want to go again!). Unfortunately it plummeted a little when the sounds of vomiting could be heard. A gentle reminded that, yes we had a good day, but no it wasn't over yet!!
Here's hoping the night will not be long and tomorrow will be a little bit better than today!!
I journey out for the school run, which for this morning was actually a happy one. Someone had told me there was something for me to collect in the office so I remember to go past and get it. It is always hard to see people's compassion in their eyes when they look at you, some days it seems harder. Today was one of those days - which took me by surprise. The girl at the office was genuinely very kind and the heart always feels genuine care. She told me that they were praying for our family, offered to have the kids if we ever needed it, and promised to cuddle them lots during the weeks that we were away. Trying hard to keep myself in check, I mean afterall I am standing in the middle of the high school office, surrounded by pimples and hormones!! I am passed an envelope which I assume is a card with kind words expressed in it. I walk back to my car, not wanting to read it on the way, and hoping to make it back to the car without the floodgates of my eyes opening up. Success!! Hop in the car, open the envelope and before I even read the words of kindness I begin to weep. There in the envelope was a substantial amount of money. Money from someone who we are only just beginning to know. No amount of words can express how that makes you feel. I am overwhelmed with gratitude!! To finish off the morning of kindness, the receptionist at the doctor's surgery had cooked us dinner for tonight. I don't think I can ever express how much of a relief it is to not have to think about dinner after a busy day/week!!
Martin has declared that he has had a good nights sleep. I am not sure exactly when the average of 'a good nights sleep' dropped from 8 hours down to 4, but alas he did have a straight 4 hour stretch of sleep - which really is good!
Today's agenda - a visit from Blue Care nursing, a hair cut for Martin and another bi-weekly visit to the doctors. I have to confess that I find the constant stop start of our days exhausting. Quick jobs take twice the average time and I long to have a long uninterrupted day at home! Still I remind myself that my burden in this journey is light compared to that which my husband is carrying. We joke now that I am being paid (if Centrelink is ever processed) to be his nurse and so I have no right to whinge. If I tell myself that I am currently employed, working from home, then I allow myself a little bit of slack when it comes to the ironing pile or the floors that scream out to be introduced to the mop!!
As is often the case, Jasmine and the Blue Care nurse arrived at our doorstep within about 5 minutes of each other. Blue Care was genuinely trying to be nice and fulfill a service to us, but we were both a little bit unappreciative. I am not sure whether it is because she kept implying that in a little while Martin would no longer be able to shower without them, or whether it is because she wanted to measure our bathroom and toilet for the hand rails that he is going to need. Maybe it was her suggestion that Martin be fitted with a 'line' that allows me to inject him with morphine during the night, or perhaps it was just the general feeling she gave us that he was already needing to pick out his coffin. Whatever it was that made us unappreciative, we were glad when the visit ended. We can always scold ourselves for our ingratitude later.
Jasmine went to work on Martin's hair. Words cannot express my gratitude. He had threatened to take the razor to it himself and shave it off. Usually I don't mind this look - it highlights his beautiful blue eyes, but now with him looking so gaunt and pale I fear it will make him look like Patrick Swayze in his final images that were seen in New Idea! We giggle to ourselves about the different groups that are made on Facebook, the latest one that made me laugh was "On a scale of 1 to Tiger Woods how angry are you". I told Martin that we could start on that says "On a scale of 1 to Patrick Swayze how sick are you"? I know it is probably a bit poor in taste, but we do try and find whatever humour in our circumstance. So on the judgement of not wanting to look like Pat, Martin has allowed Jasmine to give him a nice hair cut. And the result was very handsome.
It is the first day in a few days that Martin has had a slightly pink colour to his face. It is nice to see that change. Some days he is grey, others he takes on a slightly green tinge, but for now I am enjoying seeing some healthy flesh on his cheeks!!
Everyone has gone home and it is just Martin and I. I decide that with the house in order I am going to retreat to my creative zone and do some scrapbooking. This is something that I have not done for such a long time. It did seem to take a little time for that side of my brain to engage but once it did I didn't want to stop! Alas, the school day is not long enough, so needless to say - it stopped!!
The last of the 'day of blessings' came in the form of a juicing machine!! One form of natural therapy is to drink lots of carrot and orange juices. The kids are terribly excited as we unwrap the gift, and while we all know it is predominately for Martin, we are all very blessed by it. Such a family gathering of placing bits of fruit down the shute and watching it flow out of the nozzle into the jug! I need to go back to the mindset of a child, where every day there is wonder in the simple things!!
The day was going well. The Nurse of Death had been and gone, Martin was looking handsome again, I had indulged in a little me time, dinner was organised and the bi-weekly doctor's appointment was cancelled (Martin was feeling too good to want to go again!). Unfortunately it plummeted a little when the sounds of vomiting could be heard. A gentle reminded that, yes we had a good day, but no it wasn't over yet!!
Here's hoping the night will not be long and tomorrow will be a little bit better than today!!
Great to see you posting Philippa & scrapbooking too, what a great time to let your creativity go to work. Yummy, juice! Soon Martin may start looking orange from the carrots :) Love & encouragement to you all xxx Jini
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