A Covid lesson
Like Marxism, stage 4 cancer is evil and never completely goes away. It lurks beneath the radar until such time as it raises its ugly head again and we must fight it, again. And so it goes. My last scan showed tumor growth in the esophagus which calls for another round of radiation beginning next week (if the techs don’t hold a walkout as they have threatened, but that’s another story). Of course there will be side effects including nausea and fatigue, two of my constant companions already so I’m well acquainted and can cope. I fear it’s worse for Raj. As many of you know only too well, being the caregiver is as difficult as being the patient. You sometimes feel helpless as you don’t have the power to “fix” things, something that real men are naturally inclined to do. I feel guilty because there’s so little I can do and Raj is left to handle just about everything. To say I’m lucky to have such a loving and helpful partner is a gross understatement. As I’ve said before, I don’t know what I’d do without him.
And so we soldier on; Raj keeps my spirits up and makes me laugh. I’ve learned to be grateful for the smallest gifts we receive each day. Life is very different now – I used to hike and ski, now I need a walker and my gait is unsteady and my pace is slow. Still, I’m standing, and very grateful to God for that as well as a good number of other things.
My Norway maple is turning gold, my Sunset maple is turning crimson and my neighbor’s maple is turning very orange. Despite a very dry end of summer it looks as if we’re going to have a glorious fall after all. May we all enjoy the glorious, deal with the inglorious and revel in the messy business of living.
Speaking of the glorious: my sister-in-law took these pictures of the Northern lights from her farm in mid-Michigan two nights ago
Maybe not so impressive to those in the Aurora Borealis belt, but stunning to us Mid-westerners.
Raj and I are celebrating our 52nd anniversary today and feel lucky to be doing so. May everyone enjoy a quiet, peaceful day filled with loved ones, either in person or in memories.
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