Saturday

Another damp and gloomy day.  Light showers on and off, all day.

I visited my friend T in ICU, this morning.  She is not doing too well; her doctors are giving her a 50/50 chance of recovering.  Right now, she is unable to speak or open her eyes or respond in any way.  She just celebrated her 45th birthday, five days ago!  I was friends with her parents (who were friends of an uncle of mine) and knew her and her sister since they were 16 and 17 years old.  I didn't know if the ICU allowed flowers, so I took a small vial of Holy Water a cousin had brought me from Lourdes, instead, as my friend is Catholic.  I applied a little of it to her head and said a prayer.  Her sister was with her, having flown from her home in Colorado.  Their mother, my friend Irene, passed away three years ago in November.  Their father, Irene's husband, died the following year.  Now, this.   My friend was planning to leave on a visit to Sri Lanka and India on Thursday evening; she suffered the stroke on Wednesday night.  It has been a very sobering reminder that we don't know what the future holds.

After I left the hospital, I drove to the pharmacy to pick up another medication refill that was ready, then, went to the adjoining dollar store to buy a packet of the shredded carrots (they call them matchstick carrots) and to the grocery store in the same mall to pick up a container of milk and a packet of roast beef cold cuts.

Then, came home and chatted with my daughter for a bit.  I also called two of my cousins to inform them about my friend (they all know her, but I didn't want to call them before her sister said it was OK).  After that,  I ate a late lunch and rested a bit.

I picked up friend R around 4:00 p.m., came home and had a cup of tea.  Then, I mopped the bathroom and started the cooking.  Friend R helped by cutting up the vegetables.  I cooked the green beans, the kale, the rice sticks, fried the papadum, and baked a pan of brownies.  I had to take a break in between cooking the different dishes because my hands began to cramp.  Seems to happen when I cut up things and stir things for long.

But, now, all the cooking and the cleaning have been done.  Everything has been set out in readiness for tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Friend R coming to help me with the almsgiving preparations
- Being able to visit friend T and pray with her sister
- The rain we are receiving
- Getting my medication refills without any problems
- Good health

Saturday, Dec. 7 To Do List:
- Visit friend T in ICU - DONE
- Pharmacy for medication refill - DONE
- Any last minute grocery shopping (shredded carrots and milk) - DONE
- Clean out fridge - DONE
- Put out frozen items to thaw - DONE
- Pick up friend R - DONE
- Cook - DONE
- Mop my bathroom - DONE

Tomorrow morning, I will wake up early and make the salad, cut up the fruits, cook the rice, cover the chairs and do all the final preparations I need to do.  I hope to have everything done by 10:30 a.m.  I am hoping that it won't rain too much, although another day of rain is in the forecast.

Hope you all have a blessed night.