The physical pain has been so sickening today that there has been little activity. And activity is quite important for someone with chronic pain. If at all possible, it is always best to get up and try to keep the body moving, ambulatory, build up the muscles, distract mind from pain if possible.
Sometimes, however, the pain is wailing a strong warning. Then, it is best to take it easy, remain at rest. Other times, the pain is acute, and then there is no option but to be sedated. It is not always easy to discern the pain's whimper, its wails, its screams, or whatever levels of pain.
When just heading back out to try to unload the pickup truck of black bark mulch, the little cell phone rang. It was a spiritual friend calling from afar. We'd not spoken for months, but oddly, I had just mentioned this friend in a response to an email that came, also unexpectedly, from another spiritual friend. I mean, within minutes of sending the email in which this person's name was mentioned.
We are now dealing with Catholic spiritual friends. It kind of makes a difference because of topics one can discuss with ease and have an understanding of the role of suffering, the role of the Holy Spirit, of angels, of saints, of prayer life, of spiritual occurrences. With my Protestant contacts, the interaction needs to be more that I am available for support and prayer encouragement, other than the friend from childhood who is very patient and an unusual soul for kindness.
Anyway, God was reaching in to try to uplift my pained body, wounded heart, and my confused mind as far as the status of this hermitage, the work load, the finances.
The friend who called had thoughts on it all, and it is still on the lines of the Lord will let me know if I am to try to bail out of it and where to go next. Since that has not been happening, just continue on, trying to do some work each day with hopes that the body will build up again and the new higher level of pain does not then be the new norm. We pray it can lessen again, and more work can commence.
For, this particular friend knows that finances are going to be needed for whatever lays ahead. Younger people think just bail out of the difficult situation, the exhausting work, the overwhelming amount of work. But those who know this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit well, know that God is doing something in all this. Definitely, this friend assessed that the Lord is pruning back my family relationships.
And, I suppose it has been shown each day, sometimes multiple times, that the Lord wills to choose who He wants to make contact by whatever means, even in thoughts. Thus far there has been no physical contact with anyone.
Tuesday there will be, however, as the cabinet lady at Lowe's has arranged with the manager to do the kind favor and have them deliver the four bathroom cabinets to me, even though it is not their duty to do so. I won't have to get them in my truck and unload and get them into the hermitage by myself. What a gift! I will see two delivery men on Tuesday. God is allowing this human, physical assistance.
The spiritual friend from afar said she wished she could just bi-locate here and give me a hand with the various work efforts. We laughed. Such a term and concept as bi-location is not one that those in my family would be familiar with or even find tenable if I mentioned and explained.
So, it has been a Divine Mercy Sunday in which the Lord has certainly heard and answered my pleas for His Mercy. He has brought someone who grasps a bit, and can assess with a spiritual view, with a Catholic conception of understanding. And also brought some laughter along with a load of encouragement--making the next couple of hours of shoveling off however much mulch this hermit's body can tolerate from that load.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner! (Yes, I did admit to the friend who called that I am well aware of and accepting that I am culpable in many ways for the hurts my adult children must feel or find they cannot overcome.) But, this is definitely an extreme situation, that has the Hand of God all over it, from the assessments now of a couple of priests and several very spiritually inclined souls.
I will think on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while off-loading the mulch. We all need His Mercy!
No comments:
Post a Comment