Day 6 at home

Well, thanks for praying. Not only did Dicegsa have the medication, it was a little cheaper than the hospital pharmacy and they had plenty of it. I think I have enough for 6 weeks! God is so good and faithful – sometimes I worry like the Israelites even though He always  provided manna for them! He has constantly shown Himself as Provider to me. When will I learn?

And what made today even better? I went out in public for the first time since, well, arriving back in Nicaragua on January 4th (besides doctors visits and the hospital stay of course). I woke up at 2:30 am, wide awake, got out of bed around 3:30, and developed this wonderful plan. It took some convincing on Chase’s part, and he made me call the doctor to get permission (I’m supposed to be mostly house bound for recovery for about a month). Dr. Aragón was with a patient, but picked up his phone to make sure I was okay. I assured him that yes, my blood pressure is fine…it’s just that I would like to go to the mall. Just for an hour. I promise I’ll wear a mask? Please??? Yes! He said yes! I put on real clothes. This is a big deal. (Since I’m at home all day, I usually just wear pajama pants.) They even still fit…sort of. And I put on make up. This was a big day.

(Okay, so I actually just asked to go to the store, and we were gone for a little over two hours, but I did wear the mask!)

So I sat in the car while Chase and my mom went and got my medicine, and then they ordered Subway sandwiches, which we all ate in the car (I don’t have to wear a mask in the car and I can avoid the germs by going in less places). And then we went to the mall. Why? I wanted curtain rods. I bought curtains for our new place in the States but hadn’t been able to hang them due to a lack of something to hold them up. So I masked it up, people stared (thankfully, no one pointed or laughed), and we headed to “Mundo Electronico”. Yes, that means electronic world. What do they sell? Well, dishes, toys, purses, basketballs, and curtain rods, among other things. They do have a few electronics there, but we find it funny that the majority of their products have no electronic components to them whatsoever. I digress. So I walked around the store with my hands in my pockets, touching nothing, so as not to attract potential infectious attackers found on products that who knows how many dirty hands have touched. Mom played the role of my hands for me – I would ask her to pull something out so I could see it better, or have her carry around the product once we decided. It was certainly an unusual way to shop, especially with the mask and all, but it was great to be out of the house for a short time. To not feel like a “sick” person for a few hours.

My mom leaves tomorrow, and I am sad to see her go. While she was here, she cooked, she cleaned, she organized, she swept, she mopped, she filled up my water bottles, she washed the dishes, and the laundry, she scrubbed, she gave me shots, brought me medicine, and so much more. But mostly she loved. And she cared for me. And I am thankful for her. I will miss her, but also, I am ready to learn the new normal. The new life the Lord has laid out for me. I’m curious to see what it will look like.

I’m trying to convince Chase to let me go to the One by One staff meeting tomorrow, but he’s not budging…hmmm…I need a very large bag of gardettos to try to bribe him…