Amusement

You guys did a great job praying a couple of weeks ago when I sent out a prayer SOS: Debbie's Dad is doing much better. He's up and about and gaining strength. Debbie is doing better. She's experimenting with her drugs, looking for a balance between mobility and masking pain. She wants to get around but she wants to know when her body really wants her to quit.

Unfortunately, her list of infirmities grew today when the bathroom mirror came crashing down upon her. (I should have gotten rid of that thing a long time ago.) It could have been much worse, but it was bad enough. Because our car is at the mechanic we took a cab to the hospital, our hands clasped together like eloping lovers in order to stem the bleeding from filleted fingers. Cab drivers love this sort of thing and ours was no exception, racing through orange lights, giving us the thumbs up, playing his part beautifully. When there's blood Debbie always assumes the attitude of a curious biology student, poking and prodding. "If you'll cover that and apply pressure," I explained coolly, "the bleeding may stop and I may not throw up on you." This, too, is a familiar role. What I do in situations like these is fain queeziness in order to distract the patient from their own discomfort. Invariably, they find my discomfort amusing, (Debbie more so than most) laughter being the best medicine, as everyone knows. Call me Dr. J. In the end the fingers took ten stitches from Dr. Matthew from Boston, who chatted amicably while sewing things up--despite Debbie's ruining his outfit with blood--about the heady feeling of being a Red Sox fan in the 21st century.

Drex was doing much better: he hadn't missed school since the SOS and he is doing a great job of keeping preadolescent insanity in check. But today he had to leave school at lunchtime because of an assortment of discomforts. Both he and Debbie have gone to bed feeling pretty beat up.

I had really hoped to finally have the first meeting of our neighborhood house church here this week, but it looks like we'd better give Debbie a little more time to mend.

Would you please pray for her mending and get back to praying for Drex so he can get back to school.

Thanks and Godspeed.