A Rotten Month - 20 September 2021 - Plague Journal Day 557

Micah 6:8
John 5
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Life is good, I'm blessed in so many ways - far beyond anything I deserve (which is part of why they're blessings, right? it's not something I've earned, it's Grace.) Still what a rotten month it's been.

One month ago, Dad had (what we're assuming was) an a-fib incident that put him in hospital via the emergency room. He got what seemed to be very good care, but with a bad heart (physically speaking only) and reduced kidney function, things just weren't bouncing back the way we all would have liked. So, Dad entered in-patient hospice care. That didn't last long - Medicare and hospitals don't like to have folks hang out in hospital for long periods anymore. So, into home hospice care he went. The folks from Henry Ford Hospice Care have been uniformly wonderful. I've almost tired of saying that apart from what it really is, this has been a really good experience, but that's the truth.

At any rate, there he is, stuck (so far) in his bed, frustrated as can be that he's still all there, but his body is letting him down. We're working on getting him some strength back, and we see lots of good progress, but Dad doesn't see it - we have to remind him of every little victory and advance. So from time to time he drops into Eeyore mode and we have to remind him of who he is, Whose he is, and who else loves and counts on him and can't wait to hear him sing at church again.

As I said, the hospital and hospice folks have all been great, and have spared us from the usual glut of medical jargon and gibberish - which is almost sad, as today is National Gibberish Day. Frankly, I don't think there could be a better way to celebrate that than watching Blazing Saddles for this scene.
You're welcome.

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.