Sunday, July 29, 2007

Sabbath Reflections

In my religion and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Sunday is a day of rest. So, we got a relaxed start to the day, and walked down via Charles Street and sort of along the Storrow Drive with the River and Esplanade on our left (along with 4 - 6 lanes of asphalt and a couple of construction zones, but we'll forget about that for now). We basically just hung out with Tim today. He was pretty whupped. Later in the morning, I escorted Jancy Bean to South Station, where she caught a train home. I walked back through the financial district and along Quincy Market, which took just about 25 minutes. Not a bad temperature out, so it was OK. Along the way, per Tim's request I picked up some to-go from renowned restauranter Ronald McDonald and the three of us enjoyed some fine cuisine and conversation on the patio.

The afternoon ambled along - I actually went down to the cafeteria, found a quiet spot and paid my bills - about a week and half late. Good to get that out of the way. When I got upstairs, I was greeted by former West Stockbridge resident Janie Goldenberg and Steve Albert (he's the fellow who got this blog thing up and running, you may recall), currently of Egremont. They were ostensibly in town to visit the Edward Hopper exhibit at MFA, but I think that was a smokescreen put up by Janie, who really wanted to spend some time with Tim. We were having a nice visit and were soon joined by Bershire Bob and Marge Powell along with Jacquay Moffatt, who were definitely in town to attend the Police concert at Fenway. West Stocbridge Rocks!! Tim, as always, was a great visitee and we all had a swell time. He started fading at around 5:00 and we began to get him ready for bed. He wanted to get a good night sleep, after eating three full meals so he could get back into the rehab thing full-tilt in the morning.

By 6:30 or so, Amy and I were out of there and Tim was on his way to Dreamland. We walked back the same way and stopped in a Charles Street packy (it had a nice name, I'm sure) and picked up a couple of bottles or Pinot - Grigio and Noir. At the apartment, we threw open the bay windows, poured a glass of wine, put together a lite dinner, turned on blues night on WBOS and sat in front of that bay window and proceeded to watch the sun go down and the lights come on over Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the Charles River, Kenmore Square and Cambridge (our fair city), MA. This was our first real down time, alone, since July 12.

I'm only telling you this because we spent a decent amount of time reflecting on all the generosity that has been extended to Tim and to his family. If you can't tell by the description above, this apartment is much more than a place to lay our heads, and will be a huge part of keeping our health and focus over the next weeks and months. The visitors keep coming in, as do the posts, emails, cards and letters to keep all of us energized and looking ahead. Back at home, the dog is getting fed, the lawn is getting mowed, Jancy is being watched over, our employers are understanding and the folks in the sales offices at The Red Lion Inn & Porches and in the assessors office in West Stockbridge are making sure that things keep moving forward. We are also reminded that Amy is from a very tight and loving family. Next time you drive by One Stockbridge Road, you might notice some new and beautiful landscaping out in front of the house. Not so noticeable, but equally awesome, you'd find - newly installed ground cover and woody plants along our embankment that Amy had bought just a few days before July 12; a spic and span house, including sparkling clean windows and the notable absence of one old aluminum row boat that Tim pulled out of the Housatonic a while ago to "fix up." While we were briefly home, we had some nice quiet moments and good food together with the same folks who did all that. Thanks (doesn't really convey it) to Peter, Sarah, Molly, Lou, Chris, Phoebe, Katie and Art (special thanks to John, Brenda and Roselle, and if I am missing anyone, I'm sorry).

Well, that's it for now. Jancy is at home cooking up plans to bring some more VIP country folk down the pike for a nice visit tomorrow. Our old Boston friends from the day returned home from vacation and we expect to be seeing a few of them this week.

1 comment:

  1. I am so pleased to hear Tim's good news! I only met him once but I know his families strong faith and love, and what sounds like his tremendous courage and attitude are taking him far!

    I'm also glad to hear that you both, Brian and Amy, are taking care of yourselves and each other. Keep the faith and keep safe in your journies back and forth.

    Prayers continue for more progress and for celebration of what Tim's achieved thus far. Bless you all.

    Robin Peck

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