Two days after returning home to Mombasa I was hit by a virulent respiratory infection that had me down and out for almost 2 weeks. During that time, I slept a lot and didn’t do much productive other than getting my phone and e-mail modem re-activated so I could let people know I arrived safely.
Also, as soon as I arrived home, I was shocked to see that one of my dogs was so very thin and weak. She apparently had gotten sick while I was away and the vet told me she had done bloodwork which showed a WBC count more than 4 times what it should be and she suspected throat or lung cancer. I tried to make Ginger’s last weeks as pain free and loving as possible but, in the end, my sweet dog Ginger died at about 6:30 this morning. I went out to tell her good morning as usual, she lay in her favorite spot in the driveway facing the ocean and the rising sun and as I reached down to pet her, I realized she was not breathing. Many people, even some of my family will say to me “it was just a dog, get over it!” But Ginger lived 14 peaceful and happy years—12 of them with me here at Tamasha and I really loved her. What can I say, I am an animal lover! God used Ginger to teach me some important lessons about myself over the years and she will be greatly missed!!
Moving on, I still haven’t completely unpacked from furlough… but I have started slowly going through the possessions of Maria’s that were dumped at my house—in my dining room and library mostly. Boxes, suitcases, bundles etc. It is beginning to feel overwhelming so, I am having Christine, Rose and Damaris come on Saturday to help me go through as much as possible. Give what is useful to the base and/or staff and dispose of the rest. I am ready for this chapter in my life to be closed!
I went to the base yesterday for the first time. I was there for the worship time and although there were only 5 of us (all ladies) it was a good time. After worship I spent a couple of hours with Christine in the office and then went home. She said she had lots of questions but couldn’t remember them so I told her to write them down as she remembers them and then we can start working through them when I come next week.
So much happened while I was in the States and I would love to talk about it. You would not believe the chaos and dirt that confronted me when I returned home since Fred forgot to have my house girl come and clean before I arrived! Once I have the house cleaned and my stuff put away so I can relax, I want to take time to really look back and reflect on the last 4 ½ months and sort of time-line it. What were the highlights, what was God saying and what did I learn?
