Widening circles of concern

Taco party in my hospital room

Note my colorful outfit

Home again, home again, jiggety-jigg, from an adventure I don’t hope to repeat. What I thought was a routine doctor’s visit, mostly to have him reassure me that my breathlessness was simply from being out of shape, turned into a five-day stay in the hospital, complete with blood pressure taken at 3 a.m., countless needle sticks, a lung scan, and other indignities.

Not that my stay was without hilarity. Two of my children, Megan and Jamie, spent almost all the time with me, and my room soon became comedy central. There was always someone laughing and joking, like the time Jamie left a fake lizard for the head nurse to find. She jumped but was only fooled for a minute. And then there was an afternoon visit from friends Caro and Lon. We were all having such a good time that a voice from on high, sort of like God talking to you, admonished us that this is a quiet area.

Jamie even stayed in my room for a sleepover last night, a move I’m sure he regrets because there were two blood pressure readings, a blood sample draw, an x-ray, and one trip to the bathroom to interrupt our sleep. I however, was profoundly grateful for his presence—at 3 a.m. alone with beeping monitors, the darkest of thoughts can visit. I am so fortunate with kids—in addition to the two who waited on me hand and food, Christian and Jacob visited often, and we had a taco party in my room last night.

Kudos to Fort Worth’s Harris Hospital Southwest. I never saw a cross face. Everyone was cheerful, caring, and accommodating and, as I said, they mostly have a great sense of humor that I’m sure carries them through some grim days. I can’t say enough about the care I received.

I was worried about Sophie the whole time afraid she would feel I'd abandoned her, but she was living the life of Riley in the house with Christian and Jacob. Still, when Jordan came home after being away for five days and then when I came home she acted very happy to see both of us.

I’ve been thinking these last few days of widening circles. I was al caught up in the drama of room 3228 at Harris SW, with my racing, irregular heart and breathlessness. If you push the circle wider, Texans are focused on the ongoing catastrophe in southeast Texas. Beyond that we are in the midst of an ongoing national crisis of leadership and partisanship that manifests itself in racism, hate, discontent—and sometimes true patriotism and love.

And then there’s the global threat posed by a petty tyrant who relishes having the world focused on the possible destruction he can unleash on the world.

I’m not sure what those widening circles say about mankind, but I will be glad to be safely tucked into my cottage again. Lord deliver me from things that go beep in the night.