(not necessarily in that order)
As I got ready for Sunday service, as we rehearsed, and throughout the service itself, I couldn’t help thinking that we won’t be doing this for some time to come.
And that — more than anything else so far — brought home to me that this is really happening. We’re really leaving for Sacramento in just a few more days and then the adventure really gets interesting!
The UP side: experiencing the satisfaction and joy of creating a beautiful, nurturing space in our patio area.
The DOWN side: the realization that I can’t just leave for six weeks without making arrangements for someone to water my plants.
Bottom line? Duality is manifesting itself through my garden.
Our local deer are helping me to grow spiritually.
How? Well, this is the time of year when all the vegetation is so dried out that the deer begin eating plants they would usually avoid.
So, the “deer resistant” flowers that I was so excited to plant a few weeks ago? The photos tell the story.
Notice the lush growth in the bottom right of the before pic, and how it’s almost entirely gone in the after photo.
I actually caught a doe and her fawn red-handedly chomping on my butterfly bush one day! As a result I find myself more resentful than appreciative when I see deer around the community.
But then I remember that they’re desperate and I do my best to practice compassion.
Which is how the deer are helping me to grow spiritually!
I’ve always thought the best thing about really hot summer days is summer nights.
When the temperature has finally dropped so you’re warm, not hot. But there’s a sort of thickness to the air, so you feel cocooned in that warmth.
I have so many lovely memories of hanging out with friends on perfect summer nights.
My update in a nutshell: All systems are GO!
I’m no longer visiting Sierra Nevada Memorial (the local hospital); UC Davis Cancer Center is our new medical home base. In fact, Dr. Hung has passed the baton to Dr. Aaron Rosenberg, the multiple myeloma specialist who is shepherding us through the bone marrow transplant process.
Last week we met with a physical therapist who okayed me for an outpatient BMT. (We learned that this has only become an option in the last year and a half!) We also met with Lauren, our transplant coordinator, who went over lots and lots of details with us.
We were in Sacramento again this past Monday and Tuesday, getting the full scoop on the house where we’ll be staying; having lots of blood drawn for labs; meeting with Dr. Rosenberg; and receiving instruction from another nurse on how to give injections at home (which Ramesha will be doing).
Next Wednesday, August 24, Ramesha and I will relocate to Sacramento for six weeks.
There will be a whole variety of appointments over the weeks that follow (COVID tests; labs; line dressing changes; doctors), but the important dates that we want to share with you all are:
From that point on, it’s all about engraftment: “a process in which transplanted stem cells travel through the blood to the bone marrow, where they begin to make new white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.” This can evidently take anywhere from two to six weeks; obviously, I’m rooting for two!
This is the time when I’m likely to feel the most unwell, due to the effects of the chemo, coupled with the lack of an immune system. I’ll visit the hospital every single day as an outpatient (it’s only a three-minute drive from the house where we’ll be staying) and if I develop any symptoms of illness at all they’ll immediately admit me to the hospital.
I must say that I’m beginning to understand just how amazing our immune systems are! I don’t believe I’ll take mine quite so much for granted ever again.
Well, that’s pretty much it, my friends. Thank you again and again for all your prayers and good wishes. There are no words to express how much Ramesha and I love and appreciate each and every one of you. 💗
We got home from Sacramento today in the late afternoon and discovered this adorable amphibian hanging out in the rosemary plant next to our front door.
I thought it was pretty cool. 🐸
Yep, the changes are coming fast and furious now…
Today we got a tour and all the scoop on the house where we’ll be staying in Sacramento. And tomorrow we’ll have our last day of appointments at UC Davis Cancer Center before coming down to stay next week. Before you know it we’ll be in full BMT mode.
Such interesting times!
The great Indian master, Paramhansa Yogananda, recommended the wearing of an astrological bangle to strengthen one’s aura and deflect or mitigate negative karma.
In Autobiography of a Yogi he wrote: “Just as a house may be fitted with a copper rod to absorb the shock of lightning, so can the bodily temple be protected in certain ways.”
When I first found Ananda, all my new devotee friends were wearing bangles, but I figured it would take me years to save up in order to buy one for myself. After all, the bangle is made of gold, silver, and copper, and — even back in 1999 — new ones cost a pretty penny indeed!
What I didn’t know (but was about to learn) is that Divine Mother will sometimes fulfill our need before we’re even aware we have it.
I had accepted a job as school secretary for Ananda’s Living Wisdom School, which was kind of crazy to start with, considering that I knew almost nothing about the areas I was now responsible for!
The school was in the same building as the Ananda church offices, so one afternoon as I was passing through the boutique my friend who was the the office manager, called me over and introduced me to a former church member.
Turns out this woman had come in because she was no longer using her astrological bangle and wanted to sell it. My friend, Stephanie, asked her how much she was selling it for and the answer was $500. Then Stephanie turned to me and asked if I was interested. Of course I was, but I didn’t have $500!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Stephanie turned back to the woman and asked whether she would be willing to take payments of $50 a month. Again the answer was yes, so Stephanie’s next question to me was whether I could handle that.
And in the space of about ten minutes I had my own bangle which was completely paid off within ten months!
Here’s the kicker: only a few weeks later the school experienced a major upheaval; a time of severe stress involving all the teachers and staff. I was still very new — not just to the job, but also on the spiritual path — and the drama of it all really threw me for a loop. But at least I had the energetic support of my astrological bangle!
In retrospect I understood that Stephanie had served as Divine Mother’s channel to make sure I was protected.
As the time grows closer for Ramesha and I to relocate to Sacramento for my bone marrow transplant, I started feeling like it was time to get my bangle checked out and cleaned, which I hadn’t done for probably fifteen years.
I finally contacted Bhima of astrologicalbangles.com just a few days ago, and after replacement of the silver and copper, cleaning, annealing, and polishing, my bangle is as good as new — ready to support and protect me through these upcoming challenges.
From Healthy Holistic Living:
Let yourself rest! Allow yourself to be replenished and nourished. Connect with the quiet wisdom of your soul. Let the molecules of consciousness reassemble in the peaceful stillness.
Evidently I can’t get enough of this message, as it seems to crop up everywhere I look lately.
These dear friends are to “blame” for tonight’s abbreviated blog post.
We spent the evening eating and sharing and laughing, which meant that Ramesha and I got home rather late.
Of course, it was great fun and well worth it.