Good Things About Being Home #1 (Transition piece)

 Good Things About Being Home #1

(Transition piece)

When we first arrived in Ohio in 2006, I had no job and no plan — which will surprise no one who has been paying attention. To support myself, I was a substitute teacher for several school districts, so I spent most days driving from Oxford to Cincinnati, Eaton, and even west into Indiana. As a traveling sub, the work took me to urban schools and rural ones, wealthy districts and poor ones — a cross-section of southwestern Ohio I never would have seen otherwise.

Monday's Blahs

I cancelled last Monday's physical therapy appointment because I was not feeling well.  Exhaustion from a busy weekend, four hours a day driving, then whirlwind visiting with my family coupled with only a few hours sleep the night before left me with a couple of painful cold sores and the sniffles.  There is also a buzzing sound in my ears and objects seem to sport a lightly radiating gloriole  around them.

I hope they won't charge  for the missed appointment.  Which askes the question, am I really too ill to go or am I playing hookey?  I feel guilty about choosing to stay home.  In my heart, I should have gone and just been sick.  It will be my fault if I will have to pay for this out of my own pocket.  I should never have gotten sick.  It is my own fault.  I should have...

I return to work

Friday, August 6, 2010

I went back to work yesterday. I didn't go back to work work, I went back to take part in a celebration.

My job was to teach computer classes in the senior center at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center and to coordinate a volunteer run telephone assurance program.

Both my programs are funded by a grant from the Mayerson Foundation. Once a year we would have a special luncheon to thank the Mayerson's for their generosity and to show what we had accomplished in the last year. Click on the picture below to see a Picasa web album from yesterday.

This was the first time I had been back since March 19, the day I went into the emergency room. It was also the first time many of these people have seen me since I got sick.

The senior adults and fellow staff members swarmed me, giving me hugs and kisses and tears of joy to see me again.

I was reluctant to let go of the people I was hugging. Being physically close to them was an intense reminder of how much comfort they are to me. They have been lifting me up with their prayers, well wishes, cards and letters, whatever they had to offer since I left.

Once again, I'm left speechless by the generosity of the people in my life.

It was a physically and emotionally exhausting day. It was a pointed reminder of how far I have come (and how I got here) and there is still a ways to go.

When I got home I went right to bed and stayed there until 10 o'clock today.