Day 242- Thankful for Negative Test Results and Kind Doctors and Funeral Directors

I’ve still been trying most days to walk the walk of thankfulness. My thoughts have been so scattered lately whether I’m walking in thankfulness or not. The last two weeks have been interesting, to say the least.

Two weeks ago, I was exposed to someone who ended up testing positive for COVID-19. The next few days I experienced intense low back pain that was very fatiguing. I tried to go for a walk, but I couldn’t walk as fast or as far as usual. It’s probably a good thing because I had no desire to go shopping or anything out in public. I did have a doctor’s visit for something else that I went to before I found out, and I ran into the farmers market where I was the only customer. Then I found out I had been exposed and started the self-quarantine.

The next morning my daughter informed me that she had been up with a runny nose all night. Oh great. We monitored her symptoms and temperature for a couple of days, then called the doctor to see about getting her tested. She was tested on Tuesday, but we didn’t get any results until Friday because of Veterans Day. Fortunately, she tested negative! Yay! And I never developed any symptoms!

The same day that I took my daughter in for the test, it was my dad’s 92nd birthday. I put off wishing him a happy birthday because of everything that was going on, and I figured he wouldn’t mind if my card and gift were late. Unfortunately, the next day he went into the hospital with a gall bladder infection. They put him on antibiotics in the ER, and the next day he had stabilized. But when they were taking him up to the floor to admit him to the hospital, his heart stopped, and he was gone. 

The doctor from the nursing home where he had only been staying for about two and a half weeks called with the news. He was so very kind. The people at the funeral home are also very kind.  A lot of people have been super nice since they found out.

And so I find once again that even in the trials of life, we have so much for which to be thankful.

Today I’m thankful that my back stopped hurting so bad.

I’m thankful that I never developed any COVID symptoms and that my daughter tested negative. Who would have thought one could be so happy to “only” have a bad cold?!

I’m thankful that Dad was so strong up to the end since he had made it more than clear that he never wanted to live in a nursing home.

I’m thankful that he didn’t have to suffer too long or endure a lengthy stay in the nursing home.

I’m also thankful for such a kind doctor and kind funeral directors.