Tea and progress

My Quilting Friend and I had a most LOVELY time at tea.

I will try to do a post with more pictures soon.

It could not have been better!

***

Foot report:

The doctor said when I don't think I need crutches, 

then I have his blessing not to use it. 

So guess what, I went up our stairs and into the house without them! 

I will still use them sometimes if I start getting in pain 

but the pain the doctor was not worried about.

 The bone looks in place and well. 

I still have to wear the air cast/boot for just under 6 more weeks....

***

 I DID bring and use both crutches at tea.

But I have walked without them.

And a good friend told me about a 

shoe lift to go on top of my 

other shoe as the 

boot makes it a good bit taller

than my good leg.

So thanks to amazon, I will get that soon!

***

Tomorrow the plan is

rest, rest and more rest!

Saturday, vespers and reflections on a precious friendship

It was so very good to go back to vespers for the

first time since May 7th!

Mr Husband and I enjoyed having meals together

plus tea, cookies and a real treat of 

strawberries and vanilla ice cream! 

I made a simple origami cat for the Munchkin's weekly card,

he is overseas for the summer again, which is a great

place for him... 

Mr Husband and I went back to the diner and I

had a not-as-healthy meal choice of pancakes, eggs and steak.

I only ate 2/3 of 1 of the pancakes though and only a small portion

of the steak; boy did those eggs taste good!

I think I was craving more protein and carbs because it 

is still a lot of effort for me to be out walking on crutches. 

But it felt actually more exciting to be out this time

then last; I think it was a bit easier for me, 

my leg was not hurting so bad. 

***

I am really hoping to get back to sewing and things soon...

I was very glad to realize today that my right leg muscle

has gotten a bit stronger, still has a bit to catch up with my 

good left leg, but I have gained....

***

I am really going to miss my quilting friend who is 

leaving for CA on Tuesday morning early.

We shared a lot in the last 3 years, 

she was my one friend who could come over 

regularly during the week, 

we had so many nice times of tea and lunch together.

She took me to buy everything I would need to begin sewing 

and quilting; she and helped me

pick the fabric for my goddaughter's quilt.

Her words were to the effect of making sure 

we did not get colours that would swear at each other :) 

When the Munchkin's Dad died 2 years ago, she was 

there for me, that's when I (it as already planned),

bought the fabric and other things (notions) for 

sewing; the sewing machine I got via amazon, 

it's the same machine she has.

Whenever I had sewing woes, I could call her and she 

would go to her machine (since they are the same) and

help me troubleshoot. 

Whenever I look at my pantry and see tea, chocolate or other

goodies, I think of my quilting-friend and that we should

have 'this or that' from the pantry for our next lunch,

and then I realize, oh yeah, she's leaving :(...

But she is leaving me richer than when she came;

I know how to sew, have many crafting sewing dreams,

we often did crafts together, we canned apple sauce together, 

made Christmas Chai tea for at least 2 times,

we shared a lot of life and ups and downs that we knew the other

was going through.  

She visited me whenever she could when I broke my ankle

and we had some really nice times together

and some really yummy take out food.

***

I know there is no one in my life who can replace her,

but I do hope that I can find friends who I can 

have over for tea and cookies or for lunch....

***

It won't be the same, of course, because each person

is unique, gloriously so and we shared so many

things in common, from love of books, beauty,

tea, sewing, yarn crafts, Christians faith,

a love of chocolate and an appreciation for

what is good and beautiful.

***

Hopefully we will, as planned, go for one last

special tea time in NYC on Monday mid-afternoon.

I already checked with the place about 

having crutches and that will work;

it would be nice if I was told Monday morning,

when I go to the doctor, that I no longer needed

the boot or crutches but don't know what the actual 

outcome will be.

***

Meanwhile, tomorrow is a day I hope to spend

with Mr Husband,

first at church, then lunch and rest,

and a quiet day at home.

These are some of my most favourite of days. 

Peaceful evening, day...

I learned how to do some simple origami today

and used them to decorate cards I made.

(The red puppy dog card is for a 4 year old FYI) :)

***

I find after sitting for a while doing cards,

I need to move as my foot will start hurting,

often where I have the old crush injury,

not where the new injury is.

***

Today we got some better news regarding our

unbloggable situation and I know it's because of many 

people's prayers and I do thank you here who have

been praying! 

***

I go back to the doctor this Monday

and DV have a tea date with my dear quilting friend

who is moving to CA the very next day.

***

It will be hard to see her go, but she and her valiant husband

are building their life and making good decisions....

***

Cleo and I have been hanging out at home a lot;

Mr Husband often worked late this week,

it was unavoidable, and was not able to work from

home this week, so Cleo and I would have tea together;

she knows (on Milk days that is) when I have milk on the table

and I admit to having a saucer just for her so I can give her 

tiny bits of milk, which I bless with a quick Cross before 

I give it to her.  Cleo is an Orthodox Cat. :)

***

It's funny, with all of the people who helped me earlier when

I was on bed rest and then the unbloggable stress we had,

I feel like I did not really have any real rest until yesterday

and a bit today.... 

And I can tell that I need rest; 

bed rest is not real rest; it's an intensive healing time 

and for me it was a very extroverted time.

Now, I can tell I need rest....

it's so important and our society does not know how

to really provide it;

I think true rest only comes from God... 

Sunshine through Clouds

Today was a more peaceful day for me.

I felt like I actually rested, 

inwardly speaking.

Am re-reading the Gospel of John,

and a verse about Christ continuing to work

struck me -- 

that in the middle of busy,

God is still at work.

Encouragement to the weary

What did you do with all that time?

More than one person,

when they finally saw me in person, 

asked me what I did (esp when just in bed) with all that time.

I know that once I am better, this will be harder to remember,

I don't remember what I did with the many hours of being in bed

in the summer of 2008, when I basically got my foot

run over by 1 car wheel, a car I did not see coming when

I was trying to catch a bus during standstill traffic and I thought I was safe.

***

I remember calling my Mom many times during that time,

my Ottawa Mother came and brought me delicious food,

other friends visited; 

I was able to get out more, even though I had many steps,

I was never in a real cast, never told to not bear weight on my foot;

the worst was that my foot got infected because I did not know

how to treat the open wounded and no one at the hospital told me

how to do so; and when one is injured like that, one is 

not necessarily keeping track of all the details. 

***

I remember getting a call from the police office with the case number

to my accident; the person calling was surprised that I did not seem to care; that I was not going to do anything about it;
I remember it was a woman who ran over my foot with her

nice looking car, one wheel only; she was a professional looking person;
she must of been in shock;

I don't think she ever got out of the car,
but 4 people carried me to the sidewalk, I had no idea what 

happened, I was in such shock.

My spiritual father said that Angels were surely pushing the cars 

away from me, 

as I fell in the middle of a busy street during rush hour.

I was in great shock; when I broke my ankle this time I was not

at all in shock; funny how that is.

I knew I broke my ankle, it hurt terribly and I called my Husband,

my poor over-worked hard-working Husband and we went to urgent care.

In 2008 I remember how sick I was when I was on the super strong 

antibiotics for the foot infection; 

I went to hear both Fredrick Matthewes-Green and Fr Thomas Hopko speak;

I remember not being well emotionally and how patient my 

sister-friend was with me.

Recovering from this fall and the subsequent job I had, toxic,

that I lost months later, after moving and then having to move again,

as I realized that my money was not going to stretch 

far enough to stay where I was.

*** 

That summer, the summer after my fractured foot,

I was basically trying to not only rebuild a life that I felt 

I was losing - my beautiful green apartment I moved out of that fall - 

but I was also rebuilding my shattered soul, back in 2009.

I had lost confidence in myself and it was with a wonderful

woman student-therapist that I was put back together that summer.

She was a Christian, read Madeleine L'Engle, and she gave me such hope

and solace.... 

***

It's crazy to think of my life after that summer;

I had a bit of a crisis that fall when I had 2 months to find an 

apartment and could not afford a lot of where I was wanting to live;

God got me through that.

A year later, 2010, I got a tax bill the amount of the my then rapidly dwindling savings,

I had been to a ton of interviews, had even been flown West for one at a 

University, and was not landing the job I needed just to survive.

God got me through that too, plus the cancer scare I had

and running out of money various times, God pulling me out

with the help of others.

It was when I finally surrendered my situation to God;

I had been miraculously bailed out twice by dear friends

and I once again went to the bank down the street to pay my bills.

And I had 300.00 left, other than my pension money, which would not last me more

than half a year and was all I had for old age (it was so little for that!)...

and I told God, as I walked back from the bank, knowing that 

I had no money for next month's rent, again.

Ok, Lord, if You want to keep miraculously providing for me to live 

and don't want to give me a job to provide for myself,

I accept.

And within an hour I had an email about a job contract,

what I thought was an interview was actually 

an explanation of the job and a hope that I would take it.

And so, dazed I did.  And was paid more money than I had ever earned to do it!

I was careful of course and the money lasted me months, until I got another contract that 

summer, and so I was afloat and working again...

It was between these well paying contracts that I learned of

the man who would become my Husband a year and a half later.

While dating him I took another job, which soon

became apparent that the job was, let's say, misrepresented,

in terms of demands (which were putting people in the hospital because of stress)

and thankfully I was let go with severance and then my Oma died,

my then boyfriend came with my family to the funeral,

and that (Western) Christmas Eve we told each other, via video chat,

that we loved each other.

We got engaged on Pascha afternoon and married 

the following September.  

By January or so of that time in Ottawa, my then-boyfriend

and I were already talking about the wedding and my move to NJ,

and I got another job through my network of friends,

one that I worked until mid-summer before my wedding.

***

I can tell you that all of the ups and downs of that time,

starting with my broken foot in 2008, prepared me for my life in NJ 

in ways I could not of anticipated. 

***

And here we are now. 2017. One of the hardest
years of my Husband's life and of our marriage
by way of illness and strain upon ourselves,
individually; as in we are 2 persons with our own Crosses to bear;

I have been basically house-bound for 2 1/2 months now.

Yes, I can walk with crutches, but it's hard on my body

at this point to do so. My foot still hurts after being down for a time.

Recovery is a lot slower than I would of thought.

I have many mis-givings about the doctor I am seeing,

but because of many other factors in our current life, I was not 

able to go to a different one and I just have to live with the situation at hand.

***

A summer that I was looking forward to was wrecked by my 

fall and broken ankle. ... I am learning to cope by reading, earlier by

watching shows on netflix (I've since cancelled it already), making cards,

knitting.... I got so many cards at the beginning, it was so nice;

and the care packages! I have been very blessed through all of this.

***

I wish I could describe how it is fun to be on my knee scooter and glide

through the hall, with my good leg up, and that I am good enough on it

to do little turns and go into the kitchen or the living room from the hallway,

with little effort....

*** 

I am hoping I have not damaged my leg by putting weight on it,

too much or too soon; I really don't know what I should be expecting but

I am not without pain now, like I was when I was not bearing weight on it.

***

But yesterday I re-read L'Engle's 

The Young Unicorns

again and am re-reading Towers in the Midst 

by Elizabeth Goudge right now,

which is delightful.

***

Now that the fast is over, I am loving having tea 

again, with milk.  

I am still really homesick for just being able to walk

and without pain or slowness.

I miss being able to use my prettier dishes,
that need to be hand-washed and having my house in
a less cluttered way.
***
The hardest things though I can't blog about right now,
suffice to say that it is not a health concern or a concern
about our marriage.  But what will
become of the situation is not clear and I feel like
I am being suspended above a huge sea of unknowing,
that at times worries and scares me, and at other times gives me
a sense of hope for better in the future.
It's a lonely place but it's where I am right now and
the best things I can do are pray, journal, write cards to others,
remember the sufferings of others, read the Psalms, read
enlivening books, keep my sense of humour, read cookbooks,
enjoy social media and keep trying to get better.
And drink lots of hot tea and realize how blessed I am,
how there are so many in dire poverty with no or little options,
and while I am house-bound and in inward challenges,
I can not claim great suffering,
 but only hope that God will help use this for my
salvation, for my sanctification,
and that my soul can be hollowed out so that Christ and His
Peace can dwell in me... of that I have so long to go and
the journey there is long, varied and not in anyway neat or
strait forward; yet I trust that God is weaving threads of my life
together to save me and I pray my Husband
and many others...
in the end, it is this salvation that is the only thing
that matters, in use of time and even more, in what to hope for. 

Finally Back at My Local Church

After 10 weeks of being house-bound after breaking my ankle on May 10th,

 I was able to go to liturgy at our local church today! 

I was welcomed back warmly and was so glad to be there!

 It was more tiring than I had hoped it would be,

 but little by little, I will get closer to walking normally again!

 I had not been to liturgy since May 7th!

Quiet and Rest

Well, this morning my leg was saying

TOO MUCH.

So I rested, used ice and within an hour or so, I was MUCH better.

So I guess I over did it yesterday!

I felt fine so it was hard to tell.

I rested lots today and am doing fine now.

I had so much fun looking at more of my cookbooks! 

It's going to be a question of what to bake first! 

So DV we have groceries coming on Saturday and 

grass-fed ground lamb was on sale;

Mr Husband said I could stock up on it 

(it freezes well! and we saved about 12.00 total on it!)

and I am so excited to make Elie's lamb + lentil dish again!!!

We are hoping to have a staycation later, when I am better,

and I am thinking this would be a really fun thing to enjoy during that time....

I am excited for baking again.... so many things to make,

cookies, cakes, bars... 

maybe I will have some new things for Christmas! :)

Meanwhile, I had a simple dinner

of baked beans with bacon, baked potato with salted pop corn.

I know, the green veggies were missing, but well,

I'll do better again soon!

Today was rest and take it easy day! :)

Anyway, Mr Husband is on his way home,

so I will sign off for now!

Oh, wanted to mention though that my quilting friend ended up 

not being able to come today, but we talked

2x on the phone + video chat and so we still had our visit! :)

So that was really nice too!

How Much Is Too Much?

I cleaned the counter today.

Washed the dishes.

Made a green salad and a strawberry and banana salad.

I am walking on my crutches and using the 

knee scooter when I need it (Esp for the basket to transport things).

I am still resting... but I keep getting advice,

good advice, to not over do it. 

***

The thing is I have no idea,

how much is too much.

But I am icing my foot at night.

I seem to be doing well over all.

***

I am researching new recipes and having fun with that.

I hope to make a simple mainly pre-made

chicken and rice casserole for my husband

with cooked chicken, cream of mushroom soup (organic),

and rice and broccoli.  

It will be the first cooked meal I will have made since

my fall and ankle break on May 10th of this year. 

***

Meanwhile,

I am dreaming of sewing, cooking and baking.

***

My quilting friend comes DV tomorrow.

She and her Husband are moving to CA at the end of this month.

Tomorrow will be the second to last time I see her before she moves.

I will really miss her.

***

But, this is part of life and with God,

it will be OK, 

and I have hope for better and to stay in touch,

of course, even though it will not be the same...

***

May God help us all,

in every struggle...

Standing!

 \

Yesterday I journaled about how tired I felt

and realized that it is the tired that you feel when you 

are almost done with a part of a great difficulty...

which was encouraging and also realistic to realize....

***

So today my physical therapist came, probably for the last time,

as I will need to do out patient later for the actual ankle, 

and I now know how to go down the stairs using 1 crutch

and was actually OUTSIDE, briefly, today!!!!

So DV this weekend I can go to my local church for services!!! 

***

So you can imagine that I am pretty excited about that.

I can tell I have lost stamina and it will take some time

to recover, but with rest built into the day

and realistic goals, it will be wonderful, 

to get out again...

***

Tomorrow I plan on doing some real resting, as today

was busy and I need those intervals of rest...

***

We still have a real unbloggable concern

though and welcome all and any prayers

(thank God it is not something health related FYI).

***

I was looking through the cookbook I pictured above today

and it's fun with lots of ideas but also

I noticed a bit expensive for the ingredients.

Fun to get new ideas though and her writing is pretty clear.

I got the book at a library book sale, which is a fun

and affordable way to get books! :)

***

I've been looking through a few of my tea cookbooks,

thinking of new ideas to bake once I am back,

literally, on my feet!

***

My Husband was so excited at the idea of me 

being back in the kitchen cooking again!

Me too....

Time passes and we see the blessings....

Picture from last September at the 

monastery in Holland we stayed at. 

***

I was looking at pictures of the last months today

and seeing pictures of my cast that I don't have any longer,

it made me see how quickly it is going

and that soon at least, God willing, I will be walking again.

***

I wrote the following reflection after seeing these pictures...

***

2 weeks, 2 days until I see the doctor again. 

It's wonderful that I no longer have a cast. 

I can walk with crutches if I want to and put my hurt foot down a little bit as I do so. 

Next week is partial weight bearing and 

the week after is FULL weight bearing but with crutches. Then after that, I will see the doctor, who I hope to then not see again....

and have that chapter closed, though I will still need some physical therapy. 

It's been a hard road in many ways. 

I've been blessed with a lot of support in terms of emails, cards, even care packages! 

I've had visitors and help. My Husband has been so valiant,

 I could write a very LONG post just about all the things he did for me and is still doing.

 I can see first hand how hard it would be to never be independent again. 

To not be able to walk or have the ability to prepare one's own breakfast 

or to put just the amount of yogurt one wants with granola. 

Or to make one's own tea. 

Or go to the pantry or cupboard and get a cookie or chocolate, the exact one that is wanted.

 Or to get food on one's own timeline.

 Or be able to take a bath (still waiting for this one myself!) or to go to the CD player in another room, change the CD and turn it on, with the volume where you want it.

 I can see, for instance, how hard it would be to either be ill 

or be elderly and unable to live alone anymore. 

I lived through over 2 months of never having more than an hour

 or so of just being alone in the house. 

In the end, that was one of the hardest things. 

That and having to have everything done by someone else

. I still have a bit of time yet before I can do everything

 but even being able to do a lot of what I used to do before I broke my ankle

 is a real blessing and for that I am so thankful. 

I told my Husband a few weeks ago that I could not wait to just wash dishes, 

standing on two feet....

the blessing of tea and cookies

Husband worked from home today.

We had tea and cookies.

And a delicious chocolate! 

For lunch we had chicken and beef and cheese

and cheese and chicken for dinner.

The fast is OVER. 

I am so relieved.

I was running out of things I wanted to eat,

since I can't quite cook everything yet...

***

We are still having various unbloggable challenges.

One made things easier but made me really upset and sad.

Another is on-going and exhausting.

I wish I could tell you about them but I just can't,

you know how it is... 

***

My foot seems to be doing well.

Swelling and bruising is down. 

***

I am not sure when I will be able to leave the house quite yet;

I've only been out of the house 3 times since the accident on 

Mid-Pentecost (May 10th this year)....

but God has been helping me with that,

and I am doing one thing at a time...

***

Tomorrow I hope to make cards again....

I've been journaling more often and that is a blessing. 

***

I was able to (while my hurt ankle is up on my knee scooter)

reorganize many things this week, 

cupboards, the linen closet, the pantry.

***

It was so wonderful to have pots of tea with milk

and non-fasting foods, chicken and beef,

today! I am so glad for this.

The Apostles Fast was long this year.

It was funny, I had gotten used cookbooks that are

vegetarian and vegan that I was so glad to have

because the Apostles Fast was going to be long this year,

having no idea that I would break my ankle and not even 

be able to think about these cookbooks and making 

fast-friendly foods for us to eat. 

***

I can't wait till I can walk again.

I hope, by August, that I will be walking.

Meanwhile, one day at a time...

***

May God have mercy on us all! 

onward we go...

Today one of the things I did was

watch the Sound of Music!

What a delightful movie! 

***

Today ended up being a better day 

than yesterday for us.

***

We are so thankful for this.

Challenges, part of life...

I had such a good visit with my quilting friend today!

She is moving soon to the West Coast. 

I am really going to miss her.

We hope to have tea in NYC before she leaves,

soon I will be able to do this!

***

We had such good tea, vegan chocolate and take out for lunch!

It was fun to visit with her!

***

So, some new challenges have arisen for us.

I can't write about them here yet,

but one we are able to fix soon and the other,

well, we will see what happens.

***

My foot still is continuing to heal.

I have been so very grateful for all the love, 

support, prayers, cards and care packages I have 

received! Such blessings!!!

***

Please do pray for my 'unbloggable' prayer request. 

God is with us and that is what matters.

***

I have been watching this short video again today,

it's so beautiful. 

This one encouraged me years ago in Ottawa

and I am appreciating it again now.

I've watched this video a few times now

https://vimeo.com/224390260

it's really beautiful and encouraging. 

***

There are so many of us who are in such difficulties. 

But God IS with us and will help us.

Lord have mercy on us small ones!