A sleepless night is as long as a year. – Anon

Not sure who to credit for that quote, but they just about summed up our experiences recently! Both Annie and I are gripped and filled with colds and decided last night that we would combat it with ‘Night Nurse’ – no, not a local Superheroine from the medical sector but rather a potent cold and flu medicine that comes with the the kind of warning I like to see at times like this: ‘May cause drowsiness’

Well it did the trick for me but my poor Annie was up again all night coughing until she wretched. It was about 4:30am when she finally got to sleep. I wish I could say that was because I was up with her but ‘Night Nurse’ really did the trick on me and when Annie came to wake me this morning it took me a while to figure out who and where I was!

Mom Ruth went back to Hayes today but before she did she took us for a lovely full english breakfast at what is undoubtedly, the best english breakfast place in Worcester – nay, the entire world! I don’t get commission but if you come to Worcester, look up ‘Time to Eat’ in the Hopmarket and order yourself ‘The Hop Picker’s Breakfast’; you won’t leave dissatisfied and if your cholesterol is already high, you might just never leave at all!

It’s been a damp and dreary day here in Worcester and after getting a few passport size ID photos at the booth in the post office in town, we proceeded to the city council office to pick up Annie’s blue badge which allows her to park for free in most places. This is a great help as her stamina and energy is massively reduced these days; even walking from the car park to the city is a chore for her. While I waited for her in the car, I unintentionally attracted the attention of a traffic warden who decided to take issue, insisting I park 50 metres down the road. I tried to explain the situation and plead for a bit of grace and understanding, just to save Annie the journey – or at least buy some time talking to the warden as Annie’s visit wouldn’t be long! Needless to say, this warden not only decided to stand firm on the rule book but also dished the orders with two ladles full of contempt and complacency.

At times like that you can be left feeling like you deserve more or better. But, you know, by the letter of the law, this warden was right. Annie’s condition, qualification and paperwork meant nothing until that blue piece of plastic was firmly secured and displayed on the inside of our vehicle. Only then would we be shielded from the wrath of the warden! Moving on 50 metres was a bit upsetting but not near as upsetting as the warden’s tone and attitude.

While I did my very best to bite my tongue when addressing the warden, when I shared it with Annie, she detected the venom I was gagging on! As the Lord often does through my helper, Annie said something that helped me to reflect on the much bigger picture.

God owes us nothing. We owe Him everything. By the letter of His law, we deserve His wrath. But rather than throw the rule book at us, He sends His Son. His Son, full of compassion and love, deserves a lot better but actually suffers greatly; and while He hangs on the cross, between two criminals and before a crowd of people jeering and laughing at Him He prays “Father, forgive them!”.

So rather than spend the rest of the day seething, I could spend it rejoicing.

Annie’s doctor called up to see how things were and to prescribe a couple of medicine options. The first is a diuretic (Furosemide) to perhaps help draw out some of the fluid on her lungs and the second (Haloperidol) and anti-sickness tablet which doubles up as a good sleeping agent.

Throughout the day we had a lovely few visits from our brothers, Neil and Dave and our sisters Andi, Kirst and Debbie.

We spent about half an hour with Josh, coming up with a name for a band which will help us put a front to the 10 or so songs we have written and hope to record and put on a CD. It looks like it might just be ‘Broken Chariots’. We’ll see how that sits on the palate for now!

Right now, I can hear the sound of Annie and Josh singing our version of ‘On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand’ with the banjo rolling out a thin melody in the background:

When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace.

Goodnight.
In His Grace Alone,
R&A