Monday, April 28, 2008

Kids make it a home.

We had a quiet few days and then the kids came home. Suddenly there was a reason to cook, put on all the lights and gather together in the family room. The sounds, the smells, the sight of boys horsing around and Jyoti bossing over them all spelled HOME. After dinner we all settled down on the sofas for a while. Jyoti immediately fell asleep, then Ravi decided to do his laundry and sit in the hot tub inbetween loads and Suraj went in the big room complaining he did not like the show we were watching. So Jeff, Sachi and I sat for a long time chatting intermittently, but mostly in comfortable silence watching some basketball game. Earlier, Ravi had offered to help with Sachi's tube feed and after initial instruction managed it expertly. Now they are all gone except Suraj who is sleeping on the sofa with the blanket over his head.
Sachi is taking the tube feeds four times now instead of having to divide the cans six times. Our goal is three times a day so it matches regular eating times. Today he was able to stay awake for nine hours at a stretch. This is a first. I am not sure if this is improvement or excitement over the kids coming home. On the outside people probably think Sachi is the disciplinarian; He is actually a softy when it comes to the kids. In their own ways they all know how to wrap him around their fingers. These days since he is at home he is thinking a lot about their needs. He has started talking about 'when I get my strength back' so I think in his mind he has already gotten better.
Due to rain I have not been able to do any gardening but the plants are growing anyway. The peonies have many buds and the roses are putting out leaves on tender branches. The trees are light green and look pretty against deep green grass. Before the verdant growth of summer, this spring scene looks delicate and wistful. Sachi and I enjoy this from the window of our family room. Come summer we hope to take short (graduating to long) walks in the neighborhood. Right now our exercise is watch movies on TV. Yesterday we saw the indian movie, Jab We Met. It was quite good.
We specially enjoyed the comments this last time. They contained a lot of thought provoking ideas. We would like to come back to them and discuss them in the near future. Right now, however, it is time for Sachi's medicines and tube feed. So please keep the one way discourse going untill we can join you.
always thankful. . . . . Ambi.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Progress is ever so slow but so sweet too! Hearing the power in your voice grow each time you call, is a source of great consolation. It is like watching a child growing up....a bud unfolding into a flower...a little seedling opening into a plant.....
For you, the Gift of a brand new lease of Life is nothing short of a miracle showered by Him. The courage with which you accepted the brutal truth of His Will and the endurance with which you carried it out through all those weeks at Mayo and here at Lincoln thereafter, illustrates in ample measure the innate perfection in you that has manifested through your relentless struggle. Most ordinary mortals would have wasted half the time in fear and denial, and the other half in suffering and self-pity. But you, my dear one, neither denied nor fled.....neither gave in to fear nor submitted to remorse. Instead, you held the bull by its horns and allowed it to pierce your system, cleansing the vestiges of Cancer as it exited, while surrendering to His Will in total serenity and stillness. Denial exacerbates pain, acceptance soothes the impact. Without the physical feeling of pain, we wouldn't have been able to survive for long.... It is pain alone that signals the advent of disease or disorder, making us seek help to alleviate the cause. Without being masochistic we should appreciate the value of pain in our struggle for survival.
This is the time to relish the fragrance of Life from moment to moment, afresh and anew....
As you slowly and surely emerge from darkness to the brightness of light, breathe in deeply and feel the exhilarating presence of life in you and once again resume writing your story of wisdom and lessons for posterity to treasure, cherish and emulate....
Pranams & Prayers
Babi

Anonymous said...

dear Sachi and Ambi -- I have loved hearing about this passage in your lives for more than a month now but did not know how to write back. Just know that your words are beautiful and poignant and mean so much to a lot of us. And know that you are in my thoughts and love, Ruth Thone

Nandini & Swarup said...

Dearest Sanabhai&Nuabou,
Pranam- Sanabhai it was a pleasure to in which you look so bright and fresh- surely you are improving steadily.We hope and pray that by the end of six weeks you will be a lot more like your normal self.
Nuabou-thank you very much for giving a detailed of the weekend at your Lincoln home in which everyone is doing their part to create an atmosphere of gaiety and happiness.Really kids are the greatest blessings of God on us.You not only live for them,you really live through them.Now it has so happened, we also forward to the weekends-to get some good news and visualise happy moments.
It was nice to see that Ravi is helping his Baba in tubefeeding-God bless him-he is really fortunate to get an opportunity to serve his loving and affectionate father.Sanabhai starting from his student days always stood in vigil and did bedside service for many of us in the family-to name a few our dear Maa(grand mother),Baba,Bou,Budhi Mausi,me and many others.He is a very patient and caring person and everyone feel secure and happy under his care.
We are doing fine and preparing to to leave for Bhubaneswar on 2nd evening.We will be away for a week and will be back in Delhi on 9th evening.In any case we will be in touch through Blog/telephone.
God bless you and be with you always-
Let Spring follwed by Summer bring happiness and joy to all of you,
With lots of love & regards,
Nandini&Swarup