Homesick - and Heartsick
My Uncle Jim had a stroke yesterday. I don't know much more than that. So for the first time, I'm really, really missing home. If I was in the US, I could drive to Albany and be with my family - give them hugs, make them food, distract my cousin's daughter. Being on the other side of the globe right now is pretty tough.
Uncle Jim was my mother's brother and he and his family lived only a block away when I was growing up. He is truly the nicest human being on the planet, bar none. He's witty. He's charming. He's a gifted writer. He is the walking definition of kindness. He and my aunt are the two most in love people I've ever known. He was a fantastic brother to my mother.
Jim and his wife Georgann traveled from Midland to Albany so he could have a hip replacement surgery. My cousin Dana is an OT and has relationships with all the doctors in Albany so Uncle Jim (who is absolutely terrified of hospitals) had finally agreed to the surgery in Albany. I think his hip pain had simply gotten too bad. The surgery was scheduled for yesterday, but he had a stroke a couple of hours before he was due at the hospital.
Prayers. Please send your prayers.
Sitting around staring at four walls was simply a bad idea so we headed to Suntec City, yet another giant mall here. I'd heard there was alot of kid stuff there. True, but not necessarily the quality of the others. Look at me! I'm getting so picky!
We started at Carrefours, the French Walmart. Wahoo! Then we hit an outdoor playground on the roof. Bleh.
Back inside, we started looking for food. I was thinking food court, but Maisie heard the word "buffet" and was all gung ho. Japanese buffet, however, may not have been quite what she had in mind.
In fact, the only thing that either kid ate was fruit. I will give Hudson a big round of applause. He saw my salmon sashimi and begged to try it. The table of ten Japanese people next to us watched with baited breath and broke out into mad laughter when he licked it then shuddered from head to toe. We were the only Westerners in the whole place.
I was happy to have my first sushi in Asia, but I ended up eating mostly all the stuff I'd collected for the kids to try. Sigh. The one thing I did eat - that I LOVED - was a tiny eclair. I only got it because they're my Uncle Jim's favorite.
Then we went to Hokey Pokey, another indoor playground for kids. This playground was a bit like Royce's - filled with lots of toys - only not as many toys. Most of the kids were under two and - again - we were the only Westerners in the room. Everybody else was Asian, mostly Japanese I think. The plus of going by myself with the kids is that I really played with them versus talking to other moms. Outside of the usual cars and trains, Hudson was fascinated with a workbench and tools. Maisie liked the big Barbie head with hair to style. The nice things about these places is that they give you an idea what kinds of toys your kids might like.
It wasn't my favorite day, but we saw a new place and that's the key. Even more important, I kept myself busy. I rushed home for an update, but none was waiting.
Prayers. Prayers. Prayers.
Melinda Murphy Hiemstra
I spoke with my cousin last night and I feel much better. Uncle Jim is doing as well as can be expected. They caught the stroke in time so he qualified for a surgical procedure to treat the clot. He's regained much of the use of his arm and leg and seems to have all his cognitive skills, but he's still not out of the woods yet. He's had a seizure since the stroke and is absolutely exhausted and scared. The stroke affected his left side. The hip replacement was to be on the right hip so he's got a long road ahead of him. Surprisingly, he still wants the hip surgery, but obviously, that is on hold for now. Time will tell.
Keep those prayers coming.
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