Friday, September 23, 2022

6:35 PM

Hello. Thank you for accompanying us on our journey!

  We have a dear friend Paul who is on pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. The first day, he hiked from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, 24 km up the Pyrenees Mtns into Spain. It will take him several weeks, experiencing much beauty in scenery, people & the culture, as well as much pain & inevitable hardships, along this 800 km journey to Santiago Compostela. (The distance is like walking to Prince George fr. Vancouver, its 500 miles) The first day up the mountain is said to be the most difficult. Paul knows this, as he's walked the Camino a few times before. He told us before he left that he would offer the painful struggle of the climb of the first day, with grace, as a prayer for Larry's recovery. He sent an email at the end of that first day to remind us that he did.

  I'm writing about this, as the metaphor of pilgrimage on the Camino, is a reflection of life's struggles in many ways. Right now, of course it's Larry's struggle to get on the path, the hardest part, & 'climb that mountain': persevere & overcome many known & unknown obstacles along the way, to the healthiest destination he can arrive at. On a true pilgrimage, our lifestyle comforts & hopefully stresses gradually get left behind, freeing us to encounter ourselves in a unique way. For a while, I've been saying that Larry hasn't left the starting gate. But now he has! He's meeting the challenge of climbing that mountain & once he's met this first great trial, there is no way of knowing what his future challenges & triumphs will be. With that, of course comes fear! Although he has tremendous support, the climb is his & we can't carry him, only love & encourage him. (Wow, this is really airing my head!) Back when Larry was at RCH, 2 weeks in, Paul came to pick me up, Larry asked him (after just beginning to say a few words) "Paul, when are you going on your trip?" then he looked at me & said "Let's go on the Camino, we just won't walk as far!" We were in Santiago Compostela 6 yrs ago & Larry's thought about it ever since. He particularly enjoys the Netflix Documentary "Footprints", following a group on the Camino. Check it out! I will tonight.

 OK. Larry's day, today? Working very hard in physio for 1/2 an hour, included Larry standing from a sitting position, with bars on either side of him. The physios were thrilled, as he did it 5 times. From only tolerating 10 minutes at the end of last week to this, is 1/2 way up the Pyrenees. Of course, he's worn out after the work-out. He doesn't acknowledge his achievement, if the Physios ask how he thinks he did. If I ask about it, he says nothing at first, followed by "I wish I could walk!" He seems lost. The periods of joy & tenderness we've shared over the last while aren't there. The doctor said she would call a psychiatrist to examine for depression. I hope this passes quickly, so his energy is not compromised by this 'mood'!

 When I arrived, he was just being transferred to his chair to go back to his room from the gym. Our friends had stopped by to visit & waited while he was at therapy. He wasn't as cordial as usual. He enjoyed the beautiful artwork that their young children had made for 'Uncle Larry!' We never know when his therapies will be, so it's not really fair to expect him to be social when he's exhausted & disappointing for visitors if they can't see him for a while. I'll have to try to find a better time, for even brief visits.

  The hospitalist examined Larry thoroughly, because of his ongoing rash, that's covering most of his body. She ordered various tests to try & discern what's going on. I'm to bring in the soap he always uses for showering. His itching is horrible. That bottle of anti-itch cream is going a long way, as it gets applied to new areas of itch, constantly.

  I sat with Larry, hoping he could rest peacefully. Other friends came by in the afternoon. Larry answered a few questions but wasn't chatty for sure. They brought him a recorder. He played it for a bit & was being funny with some of the sounds it was making. They didn't stay long & Larry fell back to sleep right away.

 The rec therapist came & had Larry do a puzzle. He did fine. Then back to sleep again. These days of increased therapies really wear him out. I'm also thinking that his tolerance for visiting time is about 15 - 20 minutes. Unless its immediate family, when he's not feeling obliged to stay awake if it's hard to, as we stay for longer & often just sit beside him quietly & hold his hand. Even when he's asleep I know he is aware of our quiet presence. He'll give a little hand squeeze now & then.

 So, this was a really (I won't say "weird") unusual blog, but then, there's nothing usual about these times, is there!

God bless you on your own life's pilgrimage. Thank you for accompanying us on ours! xoxo