Parcel to Uganda

 

January Journaling

1.    Happy New Year! Let’s hope we can move past the pandemic this year.

2.    Covid week 93! And so it continues.

3.    My husband has one more day off. I got some very messy rooms tidied up.

4.    Taking my mom in for a doctor’s appointment. She got her Covid booster.

5.    Grandkids are coming for three nights so our daughter and her husband can get away for a delayed anniversary trip. Nine years already. My mom had an in-home assessment for home oxygen. She doesn’t need it anymore in my opinion; only when her hgb was so low. Now she’s better. My husband got his Covid booster.

6.    Lots of crafts, outside time, and a sauna. They’ll sleep well tonight.

7.    Back to a quiet house, but we miss them already.

8.    Men’s meeting. Writing. My mom bought a personal percussion massager. It’s like the thumper my chiropractor uses which I love. It is so amazing, I actually woke up the next morning without back pain. Our brand is called Rebel Pro.

9.    Covid week 94! Back to evening services.

10. Sent my first parcel to Uganda. I’m so excited for them to get it. I sent it by Canada Post. If it works well, then I’ll send more.

11. Shopping for the next parcel. I bought dozens of pairs of underwear of all sizes for my 60 ‘grandchildren’. Back to the pain clinic for back injections.

12. Getting my Covid booster today. That’s three then for all of us in the house. My mom and grandson had no reaction. My husband and daughters did.

13. Back to Women’s Bible studies. Doing it online for now. I’ve had such a busy two months with my mom’s health issues, so many appointments and tests, I’ve fallen behind in my writing. So I re-recorded the book of Job because Genesis and Job were originally recorded before I got my headset and microphone. So that has allowed me some breathing space. I may re-record Genesis as well, I only have to update them with Scarlet Threads, which is not as much work as re-writing everything. So far so good with my booster; no side effects.

14. My husband will take another course this winter for his Master’s program at Toronto Baptist Seminary. I will join in but will only audit again, since I don’t have time for writing papers.

15. Frustrated to be so far behind in writing.

16. Smart people are buying snow blowers to prepare for this big storm. I did not buy one. I am not smart. Church Covid week 95.

17. Snow storm so my mom’s CT scans need to be rescheduled. I shovelled half the driveway even though it’s still snowing, because then at least half of it will be a little lighter. Northern thinking. It was supposed to be the kids’ return to school after an extended Christmas break because of Covid and the first day is a snow day. My husband’s windshield cracked on his car as he drove in to work. It took hours for him to get home and since the streets aren’t plowed yet he parked at a nearby plaza and walked home.

18. So sore from shoveling yesterday.

19. Managed to get my mom’s CT scans rebooked for today, so the results will be in before her follow-up appointment with the ER doctor next week.

20. Women’s Bible study, on Mark 15. Amazed at the crucifixion account. Then the course started on Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon for me and my husband. More shoveling for my husband because the plow came back to get closer to the curb. Now it’s the heavy stuff.

21. Took my mom to get cortisone shots to her hips, and then for bloodwork.

22. Women’s ministry online. I shared about projects started during Covid; the orphans in Uganda and my podcast. Also a telephone appointment with my mom’s doctor.

23. Church Covid week 96.

24. Chiro and massage. I’m furious. The parcel I mailed to Uganda arrived, it took two weeks, which is reasonable. I paid no tax on it in Canada as it is a gift (for orphans). But when David went to pick it up he paid the $2.50 fee and they gave him a receipt. But then they sent him to another place to pay “tax” on it. They said he could only get it when he paid them the equivalent of $250 Canadian. Since when were taxes demanded in foreign currency? They wouldn’t invoice him or tell him how the taxes were calculated. !00% of the postal fee is how. Then he told them he didn’t have it. So he had to leave it with them. They had also opened it and rummaged through it. I hope everything is still there. This means the postal service of Uganda is complicit in the extortion and they are expecting a share of it too since they knowingly sent him to this other place. Such corruption. Such injustice. And no recourse. So I sent another $300 Canadian which is over $400 U.S. which I didn’t have. This is an expensive lesson to learn. I just want him to get it since it came that far. From now on we will use a courier that he knows doesn’t do this.

25. Dental appointment.

26. Another doctor’s appointment for my mom; but at least it’s only a phone call.

27. Women’s Bible study; last chapter of the gospel of Mark. Another doctor’s appointment for my mom.

28. Busy week; although I’d love to take this one day to catch up on my writing and podcast recording, I have a few errands to run.

29. The older grandkids’ birthdays are coming up and my daughter is hesitant to see us in person as she fears somehow passing Covid on to my elderly mom, even though we’ve seen each other all along for two years. Ben will be seven on the first and Robin five on the eighth. Then she can get her Covid vaccine which Ben already got.

30.Church Covid week 97. They got the parcel finally in Uganda. So great to see their smiling faces and David loved his study Bible. I also sent two copies of my book. We had so many just sitting on our shelves. It was brand new.

31. Got my Botox today but the temporary doctor just doesn’t give me as much as my regular doctor who has been suspended almost a year ago for failing to wear a mask and so it doesn’t control my TMJ pain as well. Sigh.

Goodbye 2021!

 

December Journaling

1.    So excited that God has blessed us so much so that we can share with those orphans in Uganda. It’s nice to have the personal contact and see the faces of the children who receive the help.

2.    My mom wants to help the orphans too, so we sent more. They need to buy mosquito nets because malaria is a big problem. They cost $5 each.

3.    They were able to buy shoes (crocs and sandals), toothbrushes and toothpaste, food, and mosquito nets.

4.    Went to Hamilton to watch the kids so our daughter and son-in-law could go to help out at the kids’ school fundraising bazaar. My husband took our grandson to soccer lessons. The kids has got some skills.

5.    Church Covid week 89.

6.    Today is Finland’s Independence Day from Russia. They got out in 1917, just before the Revolution.

7.    My mom and I have an in-person Doctor’s appointment with our family doctor. I always feel a little stressed because some days she’s reasonable and other days she’s difficult. I never know what we’ll get. She was reasonable and increased my mom’s pain medication for a month as a trial.

8.    Went to Hamilton. My mom had a bad day; felt nauseous all day, didn’t eat, was tired, wanted to go home. I think it’s the last time she goes with me. She’ll see them when they come to us. It took so much out of her, she was short of breath in the evening.

9.    My mom is still recovering. She slept all night and part of the day. Ladies’ Bible study this morning. One more before the Christmas break. Ran some errands and napped. Exhausted myself. Our final class tonight on Christian Foundations course.

10. Going out for dinner at an Italian restaurant.

11. Thinking of sending a parcel of gifts to Uganda too, instead of just money. He cares for 60 children: 35 boys and 25 girls. So right now I’m collecting 60 toothbrushes with covers, among other things. I went to Canadian Tire and bought tarps, and twine, a soccer ball and pump, and a water purifier and jug. The thing I like best about it is being the answer to a prayer. God has blessed us beyond measure, and He has put this particular ministry on my heart.

12. Covid week 90. Staying home from church because of sniffles.

13. Chiropractor appointment. My mom has been sick for five days now.

14. I spoke with the doctor and she wants my mom to get a covid test even though she’s double vaxxed and hasn’t been exposed as far as we know, but just because she has been so sleepy all week. She ordered a stronger anti-emetic.

15. My mom’s nausea is better and she is keeping chicken broth down. But she is so weak from not eating all week that I went and bought her a commode chair for her bedside so she doesn’t have to fear falling on the way to the washroom at night. The covid test was done at home and sent off; now we wait. Tell me why it never crossed my mind that it could be covid, since we’re in a global pandemic with a variant (omicron) that they think is airborne? Her main symptoms were nausea and vomiting and fatigue. More like severe exhaustion. She went from independent to bedridden. I’m so clueless sometimes.

16. Final Women’s Bible study till the New Year.

17. My mom is negative for Covid but what is causing this nausea vomiting and exhaustion? We called an ambulance for my mom today because her oxygen and bp were so low. I was with her for eight hours. They discovered her hemoglobin was 45 (normal is 120-180) and she is in kidney failure. The kidney failure is the cause of the anemia. They gave her three units of blood and she will be seen by medicine in the morning and admitted.

18. Still in E.R. getting confused and hallucinating but she seems to be aware that she is. It is likely withdrawl symptoms from the opioids. Had an endoscopy, chest x-ray, ecg. Fasting for a colonoscopy to check if there is a source for her bleeding.

19. Still in E.R. more confused but doesn’t know she is confused. Her blood pressure and oxygen are up. But her hgb is still low. I went in and gave her a bed bath and seeing me seemed to improve her situation. But I’m mad that they stopped her pain medication completely. To go from 5 oxy per day to none is cruel for someone in chronic pain.

20. They transferred my mom to a medical unit. She should be less confused now. They also finally did her colonoscopy. She has colour on her face.

21. Getting a cold. Surprisingly, my mom has had no pain without her narcotics for a few days. It’s a Christmas miracle. She is not confused, and said, “I guess I was telling stories.” She is making jokes. The plan is for her to come home on the 23^rd, before Christmas, all things being equal. Bought the groceries for Christmas.

22. Cleaning, errands, and pill prep. I’ve got my mom’s place all aired out and cleaned; washed all her sheets and blankets.

23. The plan is for my mom to be discharged home today; but now they’re talking about an abdominal ultrasound. I’d rather they did it later if needed. We just want her home. Also, the kids are coming to stay for two nights. Yay!

24. Hauskaa Joulua! My eldest daughter learned the song Finlandia in Finnish, then went to a recording studio and recorded herself singing it. She made it into a CD and gave it to my mom for Christmas. So many tears. It was so powerful and such a thoughtful gift. We had Finnish Christmas at my sister’s house.

25. Today we had Jamaican Christmas at my mother-in-law’s house. Since she retired from nursing she has learned to play the ukulele and today she played Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen while my sister-in-law sang.

26. My mom is getting stronger, but I bought some iron pills for her because they sent her home from hospital without them even though her diagnosis was anemia and her hgb was still only 77 on discharge. Her creatinine (kidney function) went from 346 to 152, which is still high but much better.

27. Spent most of the day cleaning out the mess that is my writing room.

28. Our youngest daughter is returning to Ottawa today. My husband is helping his sister with things around her house.

29. I don’t mind nursing my mom, I still remember how to do that, but it’s the secretarial stuff I hate, organizing all the tests and appointments, so many. And I’m on hold most of the time.

30. It’s been two years since I started my podcast, Bible Companion Series. Not many followers but about 750-1,000 listens per month, so that’s something. My main countries are Canada, U.S., the Netherlands, and Germany. Occasionally, Australia. Heading into Scarborough for my mom’s x-rays and Covid booster shot.

31. Another year over. Omicron variant is causing over 10,000 cases per day in Ontario.