Comfort in a Cup of Tea

stuffy head, sore throat

This mortal body betrays me.
I am not invincible.
I am not immortal.

I am weak.
I am human.
Like all of humanity, I am dying from the day of my birth.

Oh, wretched heritage of sin and death. I would curse thee, but thou art already cursed. And I am one born under the curse, burried by the fall. -- My brain is mush. It seems my mind has escaped me, blown into a pile of tissues all about me.

"tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day
to the last syllable of recorded time..."
Macbeth, you sinner, you echo the tedium of life after the garden.

Who has not been here?
"the whole creation groans and suffers together right up to the present time" -amen, and don't I know it, Paul.

I forget the hospitals filled with the ailing and dying as I "strut and fret" upon my busy stage; until... the virus, the bacteria, the microscopic-unseen enemy creep in and shows me for who I am:
frail
dust
vapor
grass
a fading flower

I move among the living dead,
groaning inwardly for the redemption of my body.

and yet,
it is because of the pain and fall that there is such great need for kindness, gentleness, compassion, mercy, grace...

in the darkness of all this, there is a brilliance of hope, of goodness.

It is the cup of water given in the name of Christ, because we belong to Christ.

how much more, when the water is boiled
and a tea bag is added,
soothing steam melt away and clear away all that clouds my head

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but the sick."
It is when we are vulnerable that we are the most receptive to goodness, truth,...
our pride is broken down enough to see reality.

-------

It's strange to read today what I wrote when I was sick.
Since then everyone in the house has had their turn to serve and be served.
I was up through the night with my youngest son, and I know from experience, he has about a week to be restless with temperature, cough, and cold.
What a comfort to know that all we face is "common to man"! We are never really alone. "And, this too shall pass."

My intention in life is to suffer well when it is my turn, and then to be a blessing and an encouragement to others, to love and to serve.