shattered comfort pieced back together

 So NoJoMo is almost upon us.  I was contemplating doing NaNoWriMo, but I really don’t think I’m good enough.  Or have enough time.  It will just end up being a stupid collection of random things I wished would happen.  So NoJoMo it is.  It will be good for me to try and write everyday. I need to chronicle my life here and write about what’s happening so I’ll remember one day when my mind starts to go.  Oh, I forgot.  Its already gone.

This week has taken a slight turn for the better.  Although I’m of a weak opinion that the only direction it could go was up.  I emailed my organ teacher yesterday afternoon and told her what had happened.  She wrote back to tell me not to order another copy of the book, as she had an extra copy she could give me to keep.  Occasionally people donate things to the college and whatnot and she had an book that was recently donated.  Amazing.  I was sitting in the seminary student center when I got the email and I almost started crying again.  I went over to her office to pick it up and she told me a little about the book.

It was owned by a woman named Shirley, who was the wife of the pastor who started the church where my uncle now works.  Shirley played the organ and her husband was the pastor.  My mother went to that church when she was a student here a few times and remembers Shirley playing organ as she was an amazing organist and musician.  And now I have her book!  The book has also been autographed by the author/composer.  He didn’t write everything in the book but he was the man who complied things and did write many of the beginning exercises.  The organ book is known in organ circles as the Davis book and just about every organist started on the book, or at least has one. And my copy is signed by him.  Shirley still lives in the city and I’m planning on writing her a note, telling her how much her donation meant to me.  She gave the book not knowing where it would go, but it really brought a huge ray of sunshine into my life just when I needed it.

I talked with the insurance company and glass is not covered.  They recommended their nationwide glass company anyways and forwarded the call to them.  I figured I’d get a quote and see what happened.  I had no idea how much it would be.  The guy at the glass company I spoke to was incredibly nice and said he would be able to take a bit off the bill since it wasn’t covered by insurance.  It would be $175 + local tax.  For a backseat window that needs to go up and down in a car as old as mine, I thought that was pretty good and told him to go ahead and see when I could do an appointment.  While he checked the local technician’s schedule, he asked me what I was doing in Michigan and what I was doing at seminary.  Just chitchat, which helped calm me a bit.  Picking up on the fact I was in school, he casually guessed I must be on a fairly tight budget.  I admitted this to be true, and while I had the money, it wasn’t exactly what I had planned to use it for.  He said he thought there was another discount somewhere he might be able to take off.  Knocked my bill down to $159 + tax!  I was really about to start crying again.  The glass guy could come out to my apartment the next day and repair the glass.  I asked if it was possible for the guy to meet me at seminary instead as I had work and studying to do.  Sure!  They don’t care where they work!  It really made my day just a little bit brighter yet again.  I still have to pay to get the glass fixed and replace the shoes, but the cost seems to be slowly going down.  Every little bit helps.

My cousin, Joel, didn’t make the college basketball team and so I invited him over for a Michigan sucks dinner.  He’s bringing over a friend or two (must confirm to make sure I have enough food) and I’m making lasagna type something.  Haven’t decided exactly what yet, but I’ll figure that out later when I go home and start cleaning.  Maybe I’ll do a chili mix dip thing I’ve been wanting to try too. We’ll see how much time I have.

This bacterial infection thing is really wearing me down though.  I went to handbells last night and the director almost sent me home.  I told her music at this point was perhaps the only thing keeping me sane.  I needed the break from talking about sickness and broken glass.  It felt good to move and play and for the first time I nailed a really difficult passage.  The music we’re playing is extremely easy, but the part I have is hard due to my having multiple bells.  Normally bell ringers hold one bell in each hand, putting one down to pick up another.  I have to ring with two bells in each hand and twist my wrists to be able to ring each bell separately and together.

Just a little video to illustrate my point.  What I’m taking about is the four-in-hand, the second half.  What the video doesn’t show is that by twisting your wrist in just the right way you can ring both bells at the exact same time.  So the music the choir is doing as a whole is really easy, but my challenge is ringing all those bells (and actually a few more occasionally by dropping and picking them up).  It keeps me busy and happy and occupied.

When I got home from handbells, I talked to Megan for a bit and then curled up on my air mattress in my living room. I hooked into my neighbor’s internet and decided to watch the pilot of the new Stargate series.  I enjoyed the old Stargates and was kinda excited about the possibility of a new series.  With some Tylenol PM and pizza bites, I was able to relax and by 11pm fell asleep in my bed, pretty comfortably.

My window is now repaired and I feel like I’m on my way to putting my life back on track.  I’m still sick and feel like absolute crap, but I can actually function a bit.  Who knows, perhaps I’ll actually pull through this alive!

Broken glass litters to ground
The backseat of the car
The pieces of a week
Shattered out of control
Aching body, aching mind
Aching soul for someone’s touch

They actually reached out to me
They actually seemed to care
It was sympathy but not pity
It was helping but not condescending
It was kind words and listening ears
It was all that, but it was the reaching out

Reaching out to pull out one shard of glass
Reaching out to remove one more piece
Reaching out to help cover the wounds<br />
Reaching out to get me back together

Repaired window, replaced glass
Restored faith in the people about me
Shattered comfort pieced back together
Medicine for the sickness of my body
Sleep for the exhaustion of my body
And hands for the aching in my soul

Reaching out to pull out one shard of glass
Reaching out to remove one more piece
Reaching out to help cover the wounds
Reaching out to get me back together

Reaching Out ~ Skirts and Sweaters