Now and Then

The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster which  has hit me for six. A routine check up for my  O/H down at the Docs six  weeks ago turned out to be the not too brilliant news all of us get now and then. He's been for a couple of stays in hospital and yesterday had an all day appointment in Day Surgery.  A nurse led us into a side waiting room down the corridor. It was different than the normal  stark rows of seats. There were about a dozen or so comfortable arm chairs around the room  and little circular polished wooden tables in a sort of semi circle. A Christmas tree with ribbons and baubles  lit the one corner and a wide screen television hung on the opposite wall. A nurse in a light green uniform brought a constant supply of tea and biscuits. It's a strange feeling but there's a sort of camaraderie between the folks sitting together - an unspoken knowingness that brought us all together, almost like a family. There is a local charity in Shrewsbury which raises money for places like these. I don't know how you feel but in the past  I've tended to be a bit sceptical about whether money given for charity always reaches the destination for which it was intended. Not any more .... and I am eternally grateful to the folks who've donated.  I sat with hubs until lunch time. Shrewsbury Hospital has a large bustling restaurant where the food is quite decent so I nipped out for a while to get some lunch. Tinned Christmas music muted through the load speakers and  turkey with all the trimmings (plus a free cracker) was on the menu. The restaurant was pretty full but I found an unoccupied table in the corner. I sat down with my feast and Christmas cracker in front of me. I couldn't help think about one of  Tom's blogs of how one Christmas he had a meal with H.I. in a top hotel. He mentioned how this man was sitting alone at a table with his solitary feast, when he took his cracker in both hands, pulled and put the paper hat on. The thought made me laugh, how daft was that on a day like this. No I couldn't pull a cracker with myself ... no way, no way. The day passed and I took my cracker home and stuck it on the window next to a vase of holly. The funny thing is, it lifts my spirits every time I look at it. O/H? He's in safe hands and doing OK and we're giving it our best shot.