A Day of Compliments

This is Cecilia writing for Tim and Cecilia.

I was working at the Hospice this morning, collecting the breakfast dishes from patients in bed who are too sick to eat in the dining room. One patient told me that he was having many pains and wished a rub. I said that I would return when all the dishes were collected. The first time I returned he was making a dash for the bathroom to vomit after his food and medication. I returned later and following his directions, rubbed his back, his legs and feet, his neck, and finally his head.The last request was a bit unusual, but following his directives, I did rub the sides of his head. When he was satisfied, he said that "I will love you until you die". Now this seems an extreme compliment for a rub. But other people in South Africa had told me that they loved me on the first day we met, so I am thinking that it is just a cultural thing with people who know many languages but not much English. But I do think of it as a compliment.

The next compliment came from a woman also confined to bed. She is so thin that my fingers and thumb can reach around her upper arm as well as many places of her legs. She had me rub her back, her arms and her legs. Then she said "You gave me such a nice rub".

Then there were several patients who I rubbed and exercised because they have experienced strokes with paralysis. All of them have increasing motility since we began the exercises, which they and I can both rejoice about. This is another kind of a compliment.

That is all for today. But I am hoping to do more frequent blogs when things in my life seem to warrant a comment.

Cecilia