RAINY-DAY GRACES

It’s been a day of rainy-day graces.

I woke up to the Park Maintenance Crew blowing leaves away from storm drains and sending them bouncing into the center of the street to be cleared by the cleanup crew.

And the garbage truck noisily lumbered down each street, banging and clanging the bulky plastic bins; as they were lifted, emptied, and clumsily slapped back in place on the blacktop: to the backbeat of a steady rainfall.

I painfully washed my hair in preparation of my 11:30 AM appointment in town; I’m still having some pain in my left leg – it started about a week ago when the rain arrived and settled in for the Season.

I know what is causing the pain; and I am doing what I can to organically, and holistically, to lessen the pain – but it’s real bad this year.

I need Elohim to intervene.

So, last night, I put out a Prayer Request to ask for prayer. I believe in the healing power of prayer. I believe Elohim heals.

This morning I woke up, and felt a little pain … but nothing I have been dealing with for the past week.

((((THANK YOU, YESHUA!))))

I could not bend forward to wash my hair under the kitchen faucet like I normally do – I just could not do it without groaning; but I was able to stand and move without wanting to scream. That is a big improvement. So, I hobbled to the bathroom and crawled into the shower. The warm water atmosphere helped.

So did 2 Ibuprofen.

I don’t like using that: I don’t like using drugs of any sort.

I do have a steroid asthma inhaler, that I rarely utilize: I only use it when forced to do so; otherwise I deal with my ‘environmental asthma’ organically and holistically.

I keep Ibuprofen on hand, but this flareup is the only time I’ve used the tablets since I bought them 22 months ago. I don’t feel like a failure using them … but I do dislike using them.

It’s a personal thing.

The kids think it’s a ‘religious thing’.

My siblings, and Bob’s family, think it’s a religious thing.

But eschewing drugs and doctors, based on my Messianic Christian Faith, is only part of my decision.

I was raised a hippie; my family didn’t rush to the doctor for everything, like people do today. We relied on ourselves, and what was available in the natural world.

Of course, my hippie family (like most of the counter culture in the 1960/70’s) took things a little too far, for me: that part of homelife never interested me. I didn’t like it then … I don’t like it now. And it upsets me that my children and grandchildren are embracing drug use.

I made a choice at 16 years of age not to use drugs; of any kind.

My Grandmother Brockway was a pioneering homestead woman that relied on herbal remedies, and holistic approaches to medicines and doctoring situations.

I choose that way of dealing with my body.

Bob is the only one who understood that about me.

So, with this sciatic pain mingled with arthritis pain, I am paying attention to where the pain flares up; and use Bob’s old heating pad (it’s old – he had that thing when we were dating in 1974; so, it’s probably about 50 years old), and Ibuprofen when the pain is intense … and I am rectifying my overall diet. I know what is causing the pain. I know that it won’t just disappear. But there are things I can do to lessen the breath-sucking-pain.

Sciatica Exercises: (https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/sciatica/exercises-sciatica-degeneratve-disc-disease)

Diet to help reduce sciatic pain: (https://spinenation.com/conditions/sciatica-leg-pain/overcoming-sciatica-through-diet-exercise)

Our bed does this … we bought it specifically for this reason.

I sometimes lower the bed flat, and use a knee pillow.

Hair washed; and dressed: I made/ate a bowl of hot cereal – and left for Dr. Tack’s Office in town.

When I arrived, I parked outside the door so the technician wouldn’t have to walk too far when she came outside to give me my glasses and check the new prescribed lens out. I grabbed the phone and gave the receptionist a jingle: she said I could “come right in” – a nice surprise! I was thankful; I did not want to be sitting in the car with the window rolled down for this appointment.

A rainy-day grace 😊

I went in, they ushered me to a back room (not a cubbyhole this time – an actual room), and everything was checked out. I asked if I could go outside and look up and down the street to make sure the lens was corrected this time – she said yes, so I did 😉

The raindrops fell on my face, but I was able to see both ways very clearly for quite a distance before the raindrops forced me back inside. I was satisfied.

2018-4-21: Bob & our grandson, Aza, on the Pacific Way Trail. Longview is Bob’s town. There is no place in this town, where the absence of his presence is not acutely felt. Missing him will always be a part of driving into town; doesn’t matter which part of Longview: his presence will always stamp it, with some attached memory.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kabc0B9uRLs)

Driving home through the rain falling from a gray overcast sky, I couldn’t hep thinking that all of November 2018, I was burning up the highway to and from the local hospital – hating the reason for burning up the highway; and hating the gray and dreary days that reeked of ominous foreboding. By the middle of November, I couldn’t stand it anymore; and packed a duffle and camped in his hospital room 24/7, until he was shifted across the river to OHSU, in Portland: where I camped there too.

Today, on this November day in 2020, the wet and gloomy sky carries a different ominous foreboding: a different type of death rides the river winds this year.

But, I am seeing life in color now, when I look about me.

Another rainy-day grace 😊

23 months ago, I was pretty convinced I’d never see life in color again.

I’m glad to see that Elohim has been faithful: and I am healing.

When I got home, and parked the car in the carport … I hauled the garbage bins back into their place under the carport, too.

And tried not to get upset when I saw mail addressed to Bob.

With all the networking … is it too much to ask that Bob’s physical death, as reported to the Social Security Administrative Offices (God knows I had to contact enough of them!) by me, would be entered into the government data banks, so I would not be continually sent Medicare notices???

I threw them away, and focused on the good news of the day:

New lens & less pain.

Blooming Pink Christmas Cactus

And now that darkness has cloaked the sky and evening has arrived, I am going to settle into Bob’s recliner; snuggled in his fleece blanket, and start a new read, while sipping green tea.

A good end-of-day/rainy-day grace 😊