One More Day . . .

*Quick note: We no longer have internet access at the hospital. Seth has wanted to reply to his friends' e-mails and Facebook posts, but now he can't--so please know it's not because he doesn't want to! He should have access again some time after August 28th, which is when we move to the new facility at Bethesda.*

I have teased Seth almost since we got here with the comment, "Hey, maybe we could have a sing-a-long!" when there is a lull in the action. Sometimes when his nurses ask what he needs or what he would like, I tell them, "Seth loves to have a sing-a-long." At first he didn't see the humor, which, of course, made it all the funnier to me. Now he rolls his eyes and just puts up with it. Tomorrow is a pretty exciting surgery--removing the final wound VAC, unveiling of his right leg and changing his current external fixator for a Taylor spatial frame (pictures tomorrow). So as we have contemplated this surgery, the song "One More Day" from Les Miserables has been on my mind, and it's been all I could do not to break into song--"another day, another destiny . . ." Seth is grateful, I think, that I have mostly succeeded.

Another thanks for, and another link to, Charlie's column today. Seth and I come from an amazing place full of amazing and generous people.

Last week, Seth was reading the blog, and he noted a couple of errors I had made. He wasn't in a great mood anyway, so this caused him to say, "This blog is nothing but fluff and mumbo jumbo." He has since recanted (mostly), but I think it's a great way to signal when I am about to indulge in my personal reflections rather than Seth's experiences. So . . .

Fluff and Mumbo Jumbo
A favorite scripture of mine since I was a teen is "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). I shared it with Seth before a couple of his early surgeries--before he was the pro at it that he is now. I don't know if it helped him, but it has helped me. In My Grandfather's Blessing, author Rachel Remen says, "Fear is the friction in all transitions" and discusses how experts' best use of their expertise is to ease others' fears. I'm thankful for those around us who have eased our fears--either with their expertise, their own experiences, or just love and hugs--in person or in the form of notes, letters and gifts.