Rebooting 2: Humbled By Many Gifts
Part 2:
One thing I have learned about being sick: when you tell people, they will express care and love in so many ways. I began to see the network of people with whom I had lived near, worshipped with, worked with, befriended or become related to in various ways come to life with loving words, lovely cards, supplements, flowers, prayer and more. I felt so loved and supported and was truly amazed at the prayers and tears spent on my behalf. It certainly transcended my normal day to day experience of life and reminded me of so many precious connections.
One of the huge gifts and the most difficult to receive, was our church's gift of a work day at our house. I swallowed my pride to let people come and help clean up the mess of our yard and start a painting project inside that had been on hold for a long time. I would have never imagined that so many people would show up and work so hard and have a such good time while doing it. The joy of every participant was tangible. This event changed me in ways that I didn't even know I needed to be changed.
It was about this time that I attended Joan Moody's painting class. This would be the first time in a good many months that I would put paint to canvas. She had set up a still-life of pumpkins in honor of the harvest and Thanksgiving season. so I broke my "fast" from painting with pumpkins. A large cinderella pumpkin to be exact.
There was something very much like "coming home" in the experience. It seemed a little bit effortless, to my surprise. However, back home with the house projects, intermittent days of fatigue, and the holidays looming, the pumpkin painting remained an isolated event. (I guess just like Cinderella went back to cleaning the day after the ball.) But it was a start.
Look for more of the story tomorrow...
One thing I have learned about being sick: when you tell people, they will express care and love in so many ways. I began to see the network of people with whom I had lived near, worshipped with, worked with, befriended or become related to in various ways come to life with loving words, lovely cards, supplements, flowers, prayer and more. I felt so loved and supported and was truly amazed at the prayers and tears spent on my behalf. It certainly transcended my normal day to day experience of life and reminded me of so many precious connections.
One of the huge gifts and the most difficult to receive, was our church's gift of a work day at our house. I swallowed my pride to let people come and help clean up the mess of our yard and start a painting project inside that had been on hold for a long time. I would have never imagined that so many people would show up and work so hard and have a such good time while doing it. The joy of every participant was tangible. This event changed me in ways that I didn't even know I needed to be changed.
It was about this time that I attended Joan Moody's painting class. This would be the first time in a good many months that I would put paint to canvas. She had set up a still-life of pumpkins in honor of the harvest and Thanksgiving season. so I broke my "fast" from painting with pumpkins. A large cinderella pumpkin to be exact.
There was something very much like "coming home" in the experience. It seemed a little bit effortless, to my surprise. However, back home with the house projects, intermittent days of fatigue, and the holidays looming, the pumpkin painting remained an isolated event. (I guess just like Cinderella went back to cleaning the day after the ball.) But it was a start.
Look for more of the story tomorrow...
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