All a flutter, quite literally... Lent is here

Week 3 - Respiratory Rehabilitation

all began yesterday..

 

 

While my husband was home attempting his weekend recovery from being an inpatient at the respiratory rehabilitation hospital, almost as suddenly as he arrived after his brutal drive through the highly cautioned winter storm of the year, the following day he was knocked under with some sort of a awful flu bug. 

Interesting to later learn upon his return to be an inpatient again for the third week in a row, two of his fellow roommates had also fallen with a similar bug, both placed into isolation for the weekend. I guess so! But who "irresponsibly" brought it in there in the first place?

What to do with roommates who have come from a far distance away and cannot return home for recovery time on the weekend? You got it, they are sent into isolation, like jail time. sigh...

While my husband's head and body gently weeped through his time of trial that threw him temporarily against the wall, I monitored and placed my own husband into a type of isolation.

 Although he felt so much better before noon on Sunday, he was instructed by everyone to lay low, and to hydrate and nibble back to better health. There were family plans for the weekend, and with or without him now, the show had to go on. But, happy to report by 5am. Monday, he felt just fine, and was given the go ahead to return to the hospital.

His weekend schedule for using his varied breathing apparatus was not attended to per his daily appointed timings, a slight bit distracted by life as it were, but how interesting to get to know a new (life saving) breathing device so simple, and yet so powerful that it can take the place of a percussion vest for lung disease mucus extraction and lung lining/gasping to breathe control. 

It was the best hundred dollars ever spent, and so much more convenient than having to wear, and perform instead within the confines of a percussion vest! 

I've been alerted and will be summoned to visit the hospital several times over the next few weeks to learn proper percussionist cupping, to be performed several times each day for at home care on my husband, one lung at a time as a gentle daily measure. To supplement his routine, this little helpful flutter device has also now become a part of my husband's required daily mucus clearing regime.

What a wonderful and instant-relief type of invention! He's very impressed with it! It works by taking a deep breath, then blowing through the pipe to move around the steel ball inside. Then sound waves begin rolling up and down from the pipe through the depths of the lungs, to loosen up mucus on their linings. It works instantaneously to offer huge relieve and some normalcy.

 The traditional mom/dad and birthday child happened...

 Did I mention we celebrated the traditional birthday breakfast here, just in time, before my hubby fell ill. We also hosted a birthday party on Sunday evening for a newly turned fourteen year old daughter with a few friends, plus, we brought a son's friend home overnight from church who lives quite a distance away, and all the rest who live here were on deck to help ensure the birthday party flew well. Concern for their father had kept their minds and hearts full all day, the party was a great distraction. Believe me!

Yesterday, we all spent the day decompressing. For real. 

I'm sure I won the "crazy neighbor award" again this past weekend, for being a weirdo who had all our doors open wide, fans on, freezing out rooms to kill germs and freshen all up again. 

I actually stood in the front doorway, just absorbing the fresh air for sport. It felt great just to stand there, frozen in my deepest thoughts.
 
Yesterday it began to warm up and rain. Then, it snowed. It squalled too. And we all could hardly care less. There was a little math, english, and animal care performed, then a few found themselves napping, and there was the survival fallout to fend off, from one more stressful wellness moment that could have been life changing and disastrous in every sense of the word.

Sleeping on a couch for two nights has no perks, unless all my aching bones, and foggy brain from hourly waking to check on my hubby possibly count.

Forget the official Ash Wednesday start to Lent tomorrow folks, for it's already been here for some time now in my mind, already so much to offer up toward the many prayer requests promised out there. There are so many we know with difficult health circumstances at this present time, that makes me feel wimpy even daring to complain about my weary body and escalating brain fuzz. 

For these, and all we can offer wholeheartedly at this time ~ we pray to the Lord.

...never was it known, that anyone that fled to thy protection was left unaided... Amen.  

And then, mail call! This arrived at a timing like no other, from my extremely thoughtful, dear sister in law who worked with her loving hands to needle craft and create this special gift just for us. 

Believe it or not, she apologized for having purchased the kits some six years ago, and hadn't had the time to actually complete it until recently. 

As we all know, often our timing is not dictated in our own schedules, and the actual timing of completing and sending this gift via parcel post became the PERFECT timing for us, humbled recipients of this lovely and unexpected personalized gift. 

It's so perfect, and the timing is too! It really is! Thank you! Thank you!

Those are our chairs folks, the water's edge always our preferred place to be, at least for a breathing reprieve on tough humid fallout days, the sand weaving in our toes, the wind gently tossing about our hair, and the cherished (way out there) horizon before us, always manages to represent our deepest desire to just calmly trust and pray for all that is to come.

Onward to Lent then, and keeping our hearts all a flutter for St. Valentine's Day and beyond.

May you be blessed this week folks, with the love of family, hearts filled with good and wonderful lenten intentions, and the grace to carry it all through. 

Hugs!