The Wondering Jew

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"The Wondering Jew"

Apr. 10, 2003 - 16:22 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

By The Numbers

Almost two weeks there has been no keyboard available to me. Seemed like two centuries. I was able to keep up with what was going on with my cyber friends but unable to write enough to adequately write to them. I was able to send very short e-mails of a few words by using the remote and an on-screen keyboard which is a very slow, laborious process of moving a cursor to each letter or symbol, punching a key and them moving the cursor to the next thing and doing the same.

One good thing I guess, my right index finger is now strong enough to punch holes in boiler plate maybe. But so much has been left unsaid and my inability to remember the things I wanted to say as time went on is mind boggling and of course it is impossible to back track and cover it all.

Of course our personal life has not slowed down but has sped up perhaps. A very dear friend of ours went in hospital for a routine angioplasty but her blood vessels were so brittle that she almost died on the table but lingered on for several days before she expired. She was in hospital when about three feet of snow fell here in Denver. Heather and I went to her Memorial service just the other day. Heather's 87 year old brother in law fell and broke his hip the other day. He lives in the nursing facility that his wife does (Heather's older sister who has Alzheimer's). Much hospital time spent there - not begrudged. Our oldest son has been coping with a blood clot in his leg and finally it is responding to treatment. Heather's younger brother has been in town for a few days and much family visiting has been going on. He left this morning for Salt Lake. So we have been living life as it happens, a bit frantic it seems. My right knee blew up in a painful manner, not the result of a fall or blow, just showed up one morning on awakening. Became extremely painful, necessitating two trips to the doctor. The last one has helped a lot. A shot of steroids similar to cortisone under the knee cap and pain killers allowed that to ease up and let me do the recommended exercises to prevent it happening again, still some pain but much better now. Side trips to the lab for pro times for Heather and bloods for me. We feel a bit overworked, we do.

Meanwhile our friends have had their health crises, some who are taking care of a beloved relative simultaneously. And the war, the war. Regardless of the huge successes over there, we are losing many of our service people and some journalists along with the fact that many people of Iraq have lost relatives, homes and livelihood as well as suffering the diseases concurrent with warfare and pollution. We have embedded journalists but somehow the gruesome aspects of warfare are not shown. I think they should be, it might prevent children growing up to be bloodthirsty as their folks are if they see just how horrible things really are. Even in civil life our media will not show the blood and guts aspect of these horrible car accidents or industrial accidents and often the printed descriptions are full of euphemisms which cloak the realities. I support our military but decry our civilian population and the media making a spectator sport of war.

I thought I would have time to keep a paper journal during the interim but somehow I just didn't have the time. I did try to start a short bit of doggerel of a child's day.

Afternoon sun,

Slanting through the windows,

Just before dusk begins,

Day is at its end - this kid knows.

Soon the lamps will be lit,

Supper put on table,

With semi-clean hands will I sit,

As quietly as I'm able.

Supper done,

And being excused,

My evening play begun,

Later my bedtime alibis used,