Three life preservers

We've had a relaxing weekend in the quiet city of Santa Fe. It gave me time to process my recent illness, and I concluded three things:

Mind over matter is the best of practices. Neurotic souls will appreciate the pressure I was under when my head was clamped in an old MRI machine, the nurse said "you mustn't open your eyes" and gave me a large emergency button. Lying in the tube I felt my body was tipping backwards, then there was the deafening start-stop noise of pneumatic drills. Slowly I counted to 400. When I came out I anticipated the nurse's congratulations. "Watch your step" she said.

Faith is the greatest asset. The ambulance, apparently devoid of springs, bumped me all the way to the clinic. It matched the way questions hit me. Would my life be for ever marred? Was my overseas work over? I remembered the paragliding, and my simple confidence in the youthful instructor and the flimsy plastic seat. The Lord is somewhat more trustworthy.

Hope keeps you going. Being woken up for surprise injections at 4 am and shunted around in a wheel chair, makes you want to shout: No more. The Odyssey was an encouragement never to entertain despair. But in the Word I found even more reason to hope than Homer could ever have thought.

I started back to work on Tuesday.

Photo: City centre, Santa Fe, and a good place to reflect

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