Support4Change Blog

November 18, 2008
By Arlene Harder, MA, MFT

Expand Your Horizons with an Egyptian Travelogue and Number 36 in the Pictures-on-the-Wall Series

This was one of many beautifully detailed murals in the courtyard of the Coptic Christian Church we visited in Cairo. There was a picture of Mary inside the church that dated to the first century! Visiting places I’ve only read about brings history to life. And the quality of the murals was very impressive. True artisans!

In case you’ve been following the Pictures-on-the-Wall Series and Taking Time for Healing, you may be interested to know that while my back operation was scheduled for Oct. 28 (already later than I had originally hoped it would be), I started cold a few days before. Bah! Humbug!. I was ready for action, but had it postponed until today, Nov. 18 (which is when you’ll be able to read this).

Of course, considering the way in which I put more on my plate than I have time to chew, there is some work I wasn’t able to finish before Oct. 28 and can perhaps get done before the actual day of the operation. Done or not, I was ready on Oct. 28 to get on with the healing process. It’s a little like I remember it was when I came to the end of a pregancy and realized there were still some things I wanted to get done. But I was ready to have that baby. Nursery finished or not.

In any case, from this point forward it is upward and onward. A bit of healing in the next few weeks before I get back to the computer, and then probably only for short periods of time. So I will be continuing with the series for the forseeable future since I’ll be needing to use my energy to prepare the operation.

Today I came across some pages I wrote about my last stay in a hospital, which was a lot longer than it will be this time. However, what I learned then will apply this time as well. See What I Learned During Three Weeks in the Hospital.

I will also be following the advice I wrote in another article, Experiencing Medical Procedures as Healing Adventures. If you are going to be needing a “medical procedure” soon, I recommend you check it out. It has been helpful to many people.

Remember to check on Mondays for the Better Tomorrows Program preview exercises one week and holiday suggestions the next week.