Sylvia's Journal

I was very aware of the end of the graduation ceremony of the BU course yesterday. Here I am listed as faculty and never showed up. Another disappointment among so many others, the things I cannot do, we cannot do, have to cancel/postpone, mourn, etc. It’s like a necklace, each bead comes with a sigh: the Bastille party at Anne and Chuck, the cookout at our house with the BU students that was to take place the 15th, the salsa dancing at Castle Hill, Flying to Martha’s Vineyard, with Axel and Andrew, a tour over Essex county with Karen and Sarah, kayaking with Axel and the St. Johns, followed by a mussel meal on our beach, tending the garden and picking its goodies, picking the ripest raspberries just minutes before the chipmunks show up before going to work at 6 AM, etc.

There is another necklace that has mostly covered up the one made up of disappointments and that is the one with the blessings. Each bead is one blessing. It is an enormously long necklace: the bog and trees that broke our fall, the rescue teams that got us to the hospital, the resilience and strength of our bodies, our daughters and their mates, our families, the many friends and acquaintances who are rooting, praying, cooking, driving etc. for us, Blue Cross Blue Shield, MSH, my many colleagues and friends in far away places, the Beverly Flight Center staff, our neighbors, the Gloucester Visiting Nurses, etc. This necklace is on top!

I am full of anticipation for this day, which brings week two of our recovery to and end. I am celebrating Axel’s transfer to Salem and hope to see him later. Sita went back to Amherst to take care of her own life for the weekend, make some music and pack up for the move to Lobster Cover. Tessa has taken over the RN role and is learning about dosage and pain medication while Steve is busy setting up the pen for Tessa’s rabbit Nijntje so we can all be together again.

I had a visit early (Friday) morning from Judy Seltzer, beating traffic all the way from Ashland, we had a nice time while the rest of the household was in deep sleep. I had my first cup of coffee since the accident. Another first, sitting outside at the end of the day, a glorious evening at lobster cover, I sipped a pretend beer (O’Doul) and it tasted like a real beer. I am surely but steadily getting better!