The First Book Give-Away

As a part of the process of purging stuff in the house, I pulled books from the shelves in the family room, the living room, and two of the upstairs bedrooms.  I did not pull books from Jim's shelves in the basement although he is being encouraged to do so himself!

We brought 80 or more books to church on Friday, placed them on a table in the church library, and put out a basket for donations for Youth Ministries.  An email went out to the congregation and I made an announcement in church.

And it worked!   I don't know how many books are left on the table but I saw many people leaving church with books in their hands.  J (a fifth grader) had How Things Work; C (a grandma) had Friendly Beasts and the autobiography of Roald Dahl; M (a recent college grad) had the big volume on Africa that I always meant to read but never did; W had The Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede and was happy to find a primary source.   I am so glad to see these books have new homes.

It is so hard to part with books.  But I know we will do at least one more of these book give-aways when it gets closer to moving date.

Impatience and the Patient

No glasses

I am now up to 16 doctors appointments since August 1 and there are at least four more scheduled before November 15.  We have had to cancel our trip to the East coast because of the cardiologist's advice. Most of these however have been because of the cataract surgeries and my continued poor vision.  Last Friday afternoon Dr. R, the optometrist, said he thought there was scar tissue and he would get me in to Dr. C, the ophthalmologist and my cataract surgeon, as soon as he could.  I was so impatient all weekend worrying that I would not be able to get in to see the very busy Dr. C for weeks.  But I was grateful to be given an 8 am appointment for the next day. I was so hoping that another zap with the laser would take care of the problem and it would be quick and easy.

But, no, that was not the case.  Dr. C said the primary problem was inflammation, which I thought Dr. R had checked and said was out.  I am on steroid drops for a week and will see Dr. C again.   I want to see better now!  I am tired of the strain of trying to see.  I am tired of being unable to drive and having to ask Jim, who is very patient, to take me places.  But all this impatience doesn't do me any good.  Today my blood pressure (measured twice at CVS and Martin's) is very high--which may or may not be a result of stress.   And I was just beginning to relax about blood pressure and the tachycardia which seemed within normal limits after further testing last week.

Yesterday, M came to our house for the third week because I couldn't drive to church to meet her for our reading lesson.  She brought in a devotion she liked called "Impatience."  She even printed it up in large print for my sake and read it for me and read it beautifully.  I got a bit emotional because it was so timely and because after two years of meeting, she can read enough to begin to enjoy reading and to share it with others--including her teacher!

Later today I read a new Caring Bridge post from the young wife of a former Notre Dame graduate student that we got to know quite well.  She has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma after two years of struggling with a painful skin condition.  It looks like it is very curable but she is facing a long period of chemotherapy.  She is unhappy that it took so long to figure out her problems but is facing it with courage.  I admire her greatly.  How will I ever be strong enough when the inevitable decline and disease of our advancing years comes?  I am so impatient even with relatively minor problems.   I have a lot to learn about patience and courage and a calm spirit.

I continue to be grateful for my "soul sisters" in my Tuesday AM Bible Study.  They pray for me.  I pray for them too!  My kids have texted and emailed.  Other friends and my sister have called or texted or emailed.  Jim has been very loving. I don't particularly like the tune of The Servant's Song but when we sang it in church Sunday (and I could barely make out the words on the screen), I got teary thinking about those who have supported me.

We are pilgrims on the journey

We are travellers on the road

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load

I will hold the Christ light for you

In the night time of your fear

I will hold my hand out to you

Speak the the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping

When you laugh, I'll laugh with you

I will share your joy and sorrow

Till we've seen this journey through.

Are You My Mother?

E and I have worked together three times now.  E is a beginning reader who lives at Hope Ministries here in South Bend.  The first time we met, she greeted me with "I'm irritated."  She felt too busy and had no time for the nap she wanted.  The second time we met she was escorted by her case manager and her stability counselor who put the pressure on for her to meet with me.  She allowed as how she would read with me but none of the phonics stuff.

Today, she came up without her lunch--so I sent her down to get it and told her we could work while she ate.  She didn't object to any phonics exercises or board work.  She happily chose two children's books from the several I had purchased for a grand total of $3 at the Friends of the Library sale.   She did well on one of them; the other was more difficult.  Then she saw Are You My Mother? in the pile and pounced on that one.  She remembered it from her own childhood and was delighted to read it.  She read it with expression.  She made just a few errors-- confusing "saw" and "was" several times and being unable to read more unusual words like "Snort"--the name for the shovel.  As an aside, finding books without white children as the main characters was not easy. Talking animals are fine.

E told me she would be meeting her 4 year old son this afternoon at a neutral visiting location and could read these books to him.  Somehow the irony of their own  separation made the reading so poignant to me. I left her with tears in my eyes.  She thanked me and said "See you next week." I hope she can keep the rules and be invested in the programs and be there next week!  May she also some day be reunited with her son as was the baby bird with his mother.

-------------November 15, 2018  An email from E's case manager:

Thanks for your work with Beth. It does seem that when she met with you, the sessions were positive experiences. However, Beth’s journey with Hope is coming to a close, so you should not plan to come again for her.

Again, thank you!

Escape through Reading

Since the first of August I have had 13 doctor appointments including the three cataract surgeries (one aborted.)  There are two more appointments coming up in the next two weeks.  May that be the blessed end of it!  Most of those were related to the cataract issue which is not resolved at all.  Unrelated to that I have had to cut out one very helpful medication due to the complicating side effect of a rapid heart beat.  That was scary but has definitely eased up.  I don't think I will cancel the cardiologist referral next week however.

Since both eyes have had the corrective surgeries, I have been unable to drive.  I did it a few times and did not feel safe.  My vision is very blurry.  I guess I will still need glasses but if it will give me better sight I will give up my vanity in thinking I would go without glasses for the first time in years.  I'll give up my plans for eye makeup!  Meanwhile Jim has had to drive me on my errands and volunteer activities and probably will have to do so for two more weeks.

But I am able to read sometimes even without the $10 reading glasses I bought at Target in preparation for this time.  And in the middle of this stress and discomfort, I have read two series of books that have been easy reads,  great distractions and really worthwhile.

The first series was four volumes called Journey Through the Night written by Anne de Vries, a Dutch writer commissioned to write a story for children  to remember the trauma of World War II in the Netherlands.  Although written for children, the subject matter would be disturbing for young ones as it told of hiding fugitives, incarceration, and miserable living conditions.  These exciting books made me want to read more about the resistance movement in the Netherlands and to admire the courage and faith of those involved in it. I found these books in our church library.  They are out of print so they are not available easily in English at least.

Then this week I read all three novels by Trudy Nan Boyce--Volumes 1 and 2 and a prequel.  Boyce was a 30 year veteran of the Atlanta Police Department and her novels follow the career of Sarah Alt--also known as Salt.  Salt is a complicated heroine whose own father was a policeman and who committed suicide on her 10th birthday.  She worked in the same area he once patrolled--the Homes, a public housing project.  Ten years later she is made a homicide detective and some of the same people she worked with in the Homes cross her path again as victims and as "perps."  Boyce knows Atlanta and she knows police work.  Many refer to these books as "gritty" and they are but they are also compassionate, romantic, and full of humanity.  Boyce writes about the racism that exists in a modern Southern city and the long lasting effects of slave owning.   I am eager for another book in the series--I hope one is planned.

I haven't been able to drive and some yard work has been forbidden.  I have lost my zeal for purging stuff in the house.  We don't even know if we can make our planned trip to the Hudson River Valley and the East coast families. It has been postponed once. But my reading has been a joy.  I have been to the Netherlands and to Atlanta and am grateful for those fascinating distractions.

Update later--we cancelled the trip to visit the east coast--due to the eye issue and the fact that the cardiologist advised against a long car trip.
_____________________
An update from my exchange with Trudy Nan Boyce:

Mary Vanderkam		Fri, Oct 12, 9:51 AM (1 day ago)
I hope there is a fourth book in the works. I am almost done with Old Bones and would be so sad if I could not read more about Salt!

tnandubois@aol.com	Fri, Oct 12, 3:38 PM (1 day ago)
to me

Hi Mary,

I am so glad that the series is resonating with you! Salt is taking a break while I work on another "stand-alone" novel. The best part of being a writer is, after the writing itself, when a reader connects with the story. Thank you for letting me know you like the work.

Trudy