Trying Day

Today was the big test day. We took the 7:30 shuttle to the hospital for Jim's appointments. The PetScan was scheduled for 9:15 but he had two appointments beforehand. First was lab work and the second was a meeting with a new nurse practitioner to discuss Educational Survivorship. As we sat in suite 2 waiting for our appointment the time crept closer and closer to 9:15. How were we going to make the PetScan in time? Finally Jim got up and said something to one of the girls behind the desk and she said they would push the scan later. The Educational Survivorship meeting was about general timelines for when to expect different tests and appointments in the future. Finally around 11:00 they called Jim back for the PetScan. The test took over 2 1/2 hours, a lot of the time laying still after he drank a sugary drink and a lot of time waiting to be put in the scanner.

It had been raining all morning and I was chilled sitting in the waiting room. I decided to walk across the street to get a coffee. I finally had my punch card at Padoca Bakery complete which entitled me to a free coffee. I'm glad I was able to cash in on this before we left New York. On my walk back to the hospital I was drawn to the Church of St. Catherine of Siena, the Catholic Church next to the hospital. As I walked inside my eyes had to adjust to the darkness of the sanctuary. Very little lights were on but you could see the candles glowing from the different devotional areas around the church. I walked to the front of the sanctuary and stood in front of the Virgin Mary. As I gazed into her beautiful eyes I could feel the presence of my mother looking back at me. It was if she were telling me she was with me and it would be ok. Maybe mom was the force pulling me into the church all along. Before I left I lit a prayer candle. And on my way out of the church I counted four homeless people crouched over or lying prostrate on the different pews. This church must be a safe haven for them. A place to rest and seek shelter from the heat.

Jimmy finally was done by 1:30 and we walked towards Central Park and took a taxi back to the Hope Lodge. It was worth the $23.00 fare not to wait around another hour for the shuttle. After we got back Shani called to let us know Jim's bacterial swab came back positive for staph. Hopefully a different antibiotic would wipe out this sinus infection once and for all. I walked to CVS to pick up the script.

Around 5:00 I met Lloyd in the lobby and we went to have a drink and talk for awhile. Tomorrow she and her husband were leaving the Hope Lodge and returning to their home in Lafayette, Indiana. There are certain people we meet in life that we have an instant connection with. Someone who speaks our language and shares a kinship with us. It did not matter that Lloyd and I were 13 years apart. I felt that connection with her. She gave me a card with sunflowers on the cover. How did she know they were my favorite flowers? Inside the card was a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson and it read: "A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature." I will miss Lloyd and wish her and Steve all the healing and joy there is to behold.