Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Joy or Sorrow (Terri Hendrix)

An update on Mom:

Thanks so much to all for the thoughts and prayers - I spoke with Mari last night about 7:30 p.m. and all seemed to be stabilizing. I had asked her to ask the doctor what percentage the lung collapse was (20 - 25% is manageable) - his reply was 5% (sheer relief at hearing that number). They continued to take X-rays to determine what the procedure would be to handle - in the meantime, Mom is on some serious pain medication, which is keeping her comfortable and immobilized to prevent more damage to her already-compromised lungs...

Mari called me this morning a bit before 9 and said the hospital was releasing Mom - they finally left about 11 a.m. (after waiting 2 hours for paperwork to be resolved). They should get the test results back in 3 to 5 days - thinking very positive...

P.S. Thanks to Melanie for the picture inspiration! - I couldn't make the one she sent work, but this one is similar... <3


It hovers in dark corners
before the lights are turned on,
it shakes sleep from its eyes
and drops from mushroom gills,
it explodes in the starry heads
of dandelions turned sages,
it sticks to the wings of green angels
that sail from the tops of maples.

It sprouts in each occluded eye
of the many-eyed potato,
it lives in each earthworm segment
surviving cruelty,
it is the motion that runs the tail of a dog,
it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

It is the serum which makes us swear
not to betray one another;
it is in this poem, trying to speak.

QUOTE: "Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent." ~ Mignon McLaughlin

4 comments:

  1. Sometimes I just love poetry and this is one of those poems. :-)

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  2. Hey, Helena ~

    Yeah, it is one of those poems, isn't it? - sigh...

    If you like that, you may appreciate this as well - it's along the same lines (one can never have too much hope, in my opinion... :-)

    http://optimisticvoices.blogspot.com/2007/06/three-little-birds-bob-marley.html

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  3. Sending continued good thoughts and prayers..my mom is in the hospital once again so I understand how helpless and trying it can be.

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  4. Hey, M ~

    Thanks for your good thoughts and prayers regarding my mom, as always - right back at you for Phyllis, my friend... <3

    We sound equally exhausted and frustrated and helpless - Connie was in the emergency room over the weekend with shortness of breath, they found fluid on her lungs and now they're talking congestive heart failure...

    We will keep each other posted - still anticipating our birthday/women's night out, whenever we can make it happen... :-)

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