A Week at a Time

This morning Nancy, our Hospice nurse, visited. We have come to appreciate her quiet wisdom and candor and look forward to her visits. She says I seem to be pretty stable and am functioning fully: getting upstairs to sleep, taking care of personal needs, feeding myself, and comfortable on my own when others are busy.

My blood pressure is in good range and the fluid in my right lung seems to be stable at the moment. I use oxygen occasionally, but more as an experiment than a necessity at this time. Nancy said I was doing so well that she would wait a week for our next visit, but that I was to call if there should be any concerns.

We have had lots of company and I have enjoyed the visits. I do find that about 20 minutes allows time for a good conversation without tiring me too much. Several sets of friends are coming from California in the next few weeks. It is a little embarrassing to be the object of such attention from a distance, but I realize that physically saying goodbye is important to family and friends. And it feels good to me as well to acknowledge the holy moments we have shared over the years.

Each day continues to be full of love and joyful discovery. Each day is infused by the "Sweet, sweet Spirit" as we sung at the Custer United Methodist Church last Sunday. Thank you all for the sweet spirit you being in prayers, cards, visits, gifts, and strawberry rhubarb pies.