Skip to main content

Year Four, Day 194: Grateful for You

I had a big bowl of shrimp pho for lunch today. It hit the spot. My sinuses cleared, my spirits lifted.

Nothing like pho for comfort, pho sure!

I was needing extra comfort. Today was a difficult day.  My heart is aching. I was asked to play the piano for a sweet older couple. They are members in the church where I have been playing piano and organ for the past month.

I woke up feeling better than usual.  Possibly because I had a plan.  My plan is to eat whole foods, and stay from gluten, fried foods, processed food and sugar during my eating window.

I had a lovely walk to the bus stop. I had plenty of time for coffee and two ham, cheddar and pepper sous vide egg bites at Starbucks.  I tried the cold brew coffee for the first time with my signature splash of whole cream and two shots of sugar free cinnamon dolce syrup.

It was lovely!  It was nice to have time to sip and ponder, study the Bible and pray. And still plenty of time to walk to the church and warm up before rehearsal.

I was putting together my music when people started to arrive. I checked in with the bride. She had requested "Ave Maria" for her walk down the aisle. I asked her if she had a wedding party. 

"Oh yes", she beamed. "A whole lot of them!"

It turns out she had most of her family there to walk down the aisle before her. I told her I could play Canon in D for the family. Then I would pause for drama before I started Ave Maria.  She agreed to wait until she heard a few notes before she started to walk.

The beauty of this wedding is that they are older. I love that.  And they held the rehearsal at 11:00 a.m. with the wedding to start at 2:00. I like that too!

However, this is a sad story.  The rehearsal had just begun. People were taking their places, when a phone call came in. The bride's son had a massive heart attack. He might not survive, she was told. 

She turned pale. The pastor asked if she would like to cancel the wedding. She nodded. We gathered in a circle, holding hands and prayed. Then she, her fiance and immediate family headed to the hospital.  I do not know if he survived. I sent urgent messages to all my praying friends. And I continued to pray as I spent the next few hours practicing alone in the church.

My hear is aching.  I can't imagine getting the news of a loved one's collapse, especially on what was supposed to be a day of such joy.

In a moment, one's whole life can change. And really, our lives on this planet are fleeting. I can't help but be ashamed for my own self pity and despair.

 I am praying for a miracle for this woman's son. His name is Tom.

I hope and pray the whole family has comfort during this time. And that he knows how much he is loved.

I will leave you on that note.

And know that whoever you are, I am so grateful to know that someone on the other side of this screen somewhere, sometimes reads my words.  I am grateful for you, dear reader.

Happy Saturday.

Love,

Zita

p.s. I did hoop this morning! I need to remember that it makes a big difference!

Day 143:


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Year Three, Day 58: Marilyn Monroe's Measurements

Day 24 of daily hooping. I am determined to shrink these abs, if it is the last thing I do! Perhaps I should have that written on my tombstone: "Here lies Zita". Flat abs at last!! Well I certainly hope to attain my flat abs goal BEFORE I am dead and gone! Today's video was another rush job. But I downloaded some fun tunes to my Kindle last night.  I enjoyed my hoop session more listening to the Punjabi music. It reminded me of the "Maritime Bhangra Dancers".  If you haven't heard of them, you should look them up. They never fail to put a smile on my face! I am not smiling so much looking at this video. My hooping skills have improved a bit, but that menopot has got to go! After my hoop session, I walked 3/4 mile to the bus stop. I was planning on attending the 10:00 a.m. Mass at the Grotto, but it was cutting it close. Plus, I was feeling the need for a Starbucks iced tea.  Today was Iced Passionfruit/Black Tea, no sugar whatsoever.   The ic...

Year Two, Day 274: I Like Me. RIP Packy!

Today's fruit of the spirit that I am focusing on is patience.  This I need more of. And coincidentally (or not), I read in my book Challenge: A Daily Meditation Program Based on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius by Mark Link, S.J. the following: "I asked God to give me happiness, and God said, 'No.' He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation. It isn't granted, it is earned." Well, not to sound smug, but I am certainly earning my patience award!  :) I am having a good day, however I am a bit over caffeinated. I earned (patiently lol) a free latte today at Starbucks.  On a side note, I love being a regular customer. I walked into my regular Starbucks today, and one of the barista's yelled, "Zita!" from across the room. I felt like I was in an episode of "Cheers"! I love being recognized in a friendly manner. I had a venti "Smoked Butterscotch Latte with soy".   I have found the per...

Year Two, Day 201: "I"

Before my first meeting with "I" I had a wonderful first date last night! We had a lot on common. The conversation flowed easily. We laughed. It was so lovely, that I think I shall not blog about him. Not yet anyway. I am just going to call him "I". I like I. 😉 Today was a long, wonderful family day. Went to church with my daughter and son-in-law. Very powerful, uplifting service. After that we went to the horse races. Had a blast. Broke even. Essentially had a free lunch and four hours of entertainment. After the horses, we had yet another Thanksgiving dinner at my niece's place. It was her first turkey. It was amazing! But thank God I had enough willpower to resist the pie! Tomorrow I go for my first physical therapy appointment. Tuesday it is back to the gym!! Happy Sunday!