“But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley.” –Robert Burns To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough
Feste the Fool: [Singing]
“He that has and a little tiny wit–
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,–
Must make content with his fortunes fit,
For the rain it raineth every day.” —Shakespeare King Lear, Act III, Scene 2
“Man plans; God laughs.” —Anonymous
We’re renovating our apartment, and line up all the dates for workmen and repairs months in advance. We decide that once it starts will be the perfect time for me to fly back to America and visit my family. It’s finally about to begin, when suddenly…
We receive a phone call that my mother-in-law is in the hospital. She lives about 1 1/2 hours south of us, so Uwe and I take turns heading down there. He spends a night in a hotel. I arrive by train the next day and take over so that Uwe can drive home to work.
We need to move Mama into assisted living; I volunteer to go meet with the nursing home staff. For anyone contemplating life in a foreign language, the year I spent in submersion classes learning to speak fluent German pays off now. It would be scary not to understand what is happening, and awful not to be able to help my husband.
Her doctors think she needs an operation and schedule a day for it. Then the next time I go down, they inform us they’ve decided not to operate. She is moved out of the ICU. And then back into the ICU. And then back out of the ICU. Uwe deals with banks and Mama’s newspaper deliveries and the phone company. We need to keep updating the nursing home. Each day is a roller coaster experience.
Should I cancel or push back my flight to the US? I keep asking, but Uwe continues to assure me I can head out as planned.
Germany has record flooding. It rains every day and the train runs alongside the banks of the Neckar River. I have the surreal experience of watching the waters keep rising, along with our concerns about Mama.
In the meantime I try to write. I see massage patients. But I’m shocked when my sister announces my nephew’s birthday has arrived. I know it’s still a few days away, and then l look at a calendar. I have the date and what day of the week it is both wrong. I lost 48 hours somewhere.
Friday the tile layer begins work in the hallway. Saturday I go to my monthly writers’ group and come home to find an email about an award. Sunday I take my last train ride. Monday the tile layer returns and Mama can finally leave the hospital. Uwe drives down to get his mother settled in and buy furniture, etc. for her new digs. I remain home to hold down the fort. Tuesday the next Handwerker arrives and for two days walls are fixed in the next room (as I type these words. Literally.)
I am grateful for the completely unexpected VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER Award. It’s a glad moment in what have been harried days and nights. The wonderful, creative Jen Payne at http://randomactsofwriting.wordpress.com has honored me with the nomination. It’s a lovely recognition. It doesn’t involve answering or posing questions. Best of all, it arrived at the height/depth of 2 weeks of insanity. This award provided me with light for the end of the tunnel, letting me know that maybe I’m not just viewing the headlights of an oncoming train ….
The word inspire means to “fill with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” I feel my creativity slowly returning as the flood waters in some spots finally begin to recede.
Heartfelt thanks again to Jen at Random Acts of Writing [+ art] for the nomination. I’m delighted to pass on the compliment by following the award rules and nominating 15 other bloggers.
VERY INSPIRING BLOGGER RULES
• Display the award logo on your blog.
• Link back to the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.
• Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.
May my nominations bring you amusement, relief, or whatever you may be needing at the moment. It’s great to be part of this community! (Written June 12th, 2013)
- http://aleafinspringtime.wordpress.com/
- http://alien-heartbeat.com/
- http://arranqhenderson.com/
- http://athingforwordsjahesch.wordpress.com/
- http://barbtaub.com/
- http://chattyowl.com/
- http://gallivance.net/
- http://lifeoutofthebox.com/
- http://narrativeecopsych.wordpress.com/
- http://nomadruss.me/
- http://ohgodmywifeisgerman.com/
- http://raysharp.wordpress.com/
- http://theforesterartist.com/
- http://valeriedavies.com/
- http://windagainstcurrent.com/
Thanks for letting me camp out in your blog for a little while today. I had a great time and tried to leave my campsite as good as when I arrived. I’ll be back!
Welcome, Russel Ray! Fellow campers are always welcomed at my site. You’re a perfect candidate to visit the back ponds and trails, for example the ones I list under “5 Favorite Blasts from the Past” on the What’s Here page. I hope you’ll come back soon.
Back ponds and trails. I’m coming right over.
Jadi, Congratulations on your award! You certainly deserve it.
What a fascinating gathering of people you’ve assembled. We are touched and honored to be included in such eminent company. Many thanks. Can’t wait to check out all these enticing blogs.
Please follow this link to our Awards Page to see our personal response and Thank You.
Wishing you all the best,
Terri & James
http://gallivance.net/about/
Hi Jadi. I would just like to say God bless you.
Hi Vibha, Thanks so much. I am now following your lovely blog. Best wishes, —Jadi
Jadi, Thanks for following my blog. I am honored. I am deeply appreciative of your writing on your blog.
Thanks Michael: The appreciation is mutual. —Jadi
I’ve nominated you for the Shine-On Award! (For more info, see http://wp.me/p2SHpT-kS)
Congratulations~ Cheers!! 😀
Thanks, on we go! —Jadi
You’re welcome! Cheers~ 😀
Congratulations!
I hope you’ll catch your balance soon!
Thanks! Maybe it’s just balancing between the interesting moments life sends our way! —Jadi
Thank you for your kind words, and I’m happy to know the award offered up a little joy in the midst of all the life moments!
Some reality checks are better than others, and the timing of yours was perfect! 🙂 —Jadi
Congratulations on the well-deserved award! And thank you so much for mentioning my blog. I’m very flattered.
You are welcome, Barb. I’m happy to spread the word as I enjoy your blog and know that other people will, too. —Jadi
Congratulations, Jadi—hope it helped in such a trying time… And thanks so much for nominating us!!
Hi Vladimir, Yes, getting a tip of the hat from another blog did feel like a break from a crazed couple of weeks. It was a real lesson in being present in the moment, that’s for sure! Nothing like a crisis for a little clarity… 🙂 I enjoy your posts – the words and the images – and am happy for the chance to pass the nod on for your blog. Cheers, Jadi
Oh Jadi, you have been through some deep waters… hope you’re beginning to feel home and dry by now….I’ve also been watching the floods in Europe with dismay… I hate to know the destruction they cause, especially to what has survived all the wars and chaos of the last century!..Hope everywhere starts to dry out in some warm summer weather….
Congratulations on your well deserved award…I love your posts, isn’t it great how belonging to the blogging community can lift one’s spirits.? And thank you so much for thinking of me – much appreciated
Hi Valerie, These floods broke the records of what the experts called “The Flood of the Century” of 2002! Things are back to normal (summer thunder storms) and the renovations continue apace. And on we go… Cheers, Jadi
Thanks dear! Im very flattered that you thought about me! Thank you, it really means a lot to be appreciated by you. Unfortunatelly, I stopped doing awards as I receive quite a few and they are so time-consuming, I’d rather give them a skip. But thanks once again!
Hi there, I understand and share your views. This award though meant a lot (especially the timing of it), and I wanted to give a public nod of appreciation and acknowledgment to you and my other nominees. Thanks for inspiring me. —Jadi
Congratulations on the recognition. You may write alone, but we are social beings, and to have the honor of our peers is literally vital. You’ve been inspiring me for years.
Thanks so much Kathryn! The timing for this award could not have been better (or more welcomed!) The blogger community is a lovely network; I’m really happy to have found it. It’s a warm addition to the life long friendships I have with folks like you. — Jadi