Hello lovelies! Consider this your biannual check-in from me. This is not one of these newsletter/blogs that has a (ahem) particularly regular schedule, shall we say. And while I wish I could report “no news is good news,” it’s probably more like “no news means she’s been figuring out how to navigate a wheelchair and what the latest bestsellers are, and is the Chapel staff doing ok, and what would Kate Bowler do in this situation? ” In other words – no news IS good news because it’s us living life, albeit in a new way.
But – first things first. I got a mani-pedi! This was no small feat friends (haha – see what I did there?). I’d been complaining for weeks that I couldn’t reach my toes anymore, and getting in the car to get to an appointment is also a Herculean effort. So when my husband arranged for an in-home mani-pedi I assumed he was as tired of looking at my toes as I was and I said, “sign-me up!” I literally cried when they left because it was the best thing ever. These two were so joyful, and they brought this high energy of fun and love. They pampered me for almost an hour. They offered to get me tea (in my own home!), and said things like, “For you? Anything.” Love comes in all shapes and sizes, including tiny little bottles of “Birthday Suit Beige.”
Astute readers will know that I am not one to regularly schedule in-home mani-pedis so you might be asking yourselves, “what’s going on here?” Well, my mobility has declined a lot lately, so much that I really can’t be at church on Sunday mornings because it requires too much stamina and strength – Sundays, stamina and strength: three things every pastor needs! For the record, yes, I am doing PT, lymphatic Drainage Massage, acupuncture, you name it. I have tried all the “things” to alleviate pain and get me walking again.
The fact that I needed someone to come into my home to take care of this basic need is a mani-festation of my current circumstances (see what I did there, again? ) I have a lot of fluid swelling and weakness in my legs which is preventing me from moving freely. The good news is I can be largely pain-free for most of the day thanks to pain medication.
If you reach out and I’m slow to respond (or never do), please don’t take it personally. I am so blessed by the prayers and blessings of so many. I may get there. I may not. What I do know is that I am not alone. There is such comfort in that. And if I can have a little Birthday Suit Beige now and then, I’ll take it.
Kick it with Charla 
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