Report of 26 Aug '07
Hello from Chennai -
Scott is in the recliner working Sudoku, and the boys are cramming for tests and exams.
We are well. I went back to work at the Banyan and am loving it. There have been several changes, one of which has been that our HIV + patient, Ms. K, lost her son after his battle w/ cancer. The child was diagnosed w/ cancer of the eye, I don't know what kind, and prognosis was grim even then (last year), but our kind social workers were very optimistic. Ms. K told me that he had died, and though I had fully expected it, the details of his last days when he was in considerable pain bothered me. Hospice remains a distant dream, as I am very thin-skinned: as soon as people tell me that setting up such a facility is a Herculean task, I say ok and move on. Scott remains robustly convinced that Hospice will happen, dear man - perhaps after my sons are grown and in college. At any rate, Ms. K does not appear to be grieving her son; she did last year as soon as his cancer was diagnosed, but does not seem very sad now. It's a bit unusual, but I remember one of my counsellors, a Ph.D. psychology resident at my med school in San Antonio, perseverating on the "How do you feel?" question during our tearless sessions after my brother's demise; Scott said it would benefit her immensely if I would just burst into tears. I suppose, similarly, that it would benefit us hugely if Ms. K burst into tears, but that ain't happening, so we must be content in Ms. K's dealing of the situation.
The Banyan's new facility was inaugurated by our former president, Dr. Abdul Kalam, and it is in a rural area near the beach. I think I will be very involved in it, and look forward to it. The inauguration was a melee, as Dr. Kalam is a very popular man, and the crowds gathering to see him were huge. I remain impressed and grateful to Vandana and Vaishnavi that they have started this facility where all of us can take care of the destitute to our hearts' content.
We had a house full of guests this weekend. My widowed sister-in-law, Susan, was here w/ my niece, Sanjana; Sudhir, my nephew, is in catering college in Chennai and the family met, and appeared happy in each other's presence. We had 3 formal events to attend, including a wedding and a farewell to my scientist aunt, Indira, and life was extremely hectic. I had to run things at 2 of these events, and we had to stick to schedules, always a challenge w/ my 3 Weiss men and Susan, who tend to run late as a matter of bloodflow. Argh! However, we did manage to enjoy each other's company, and I remain grateful that my family and I get along. Anytime we manage to provide some kind of succor to Susan, I consider that a blessing as life is very hard for a young widow in India. Or indeed anywhere.
Well, I'd better wind up. My bed is calling me and I must answer.
"Her journalism, like a diamond, will sparkle more if it is cut." - Raymond Mortimer (of Susan Sontag)
Unw -
R
Scott is in the recliner working Sudoku, and the boys are cramming for tests and exams.
We are well. I went back to work at the Banyan and am loving it. There have been several changes, one of which has been that our HIV + patient, Ms. K, lost her son after his battle w/ cancer. The child was diagnosed w/ cancer of the eye, I don't know what kind, and prognosis was grim even then (last year), but our kind social workers were very optimistic. Ms. K told me that he had died, and though I had fully expected it, the details of his last days when he was in considerable pain bothered me. Hospice remains a distant dream, as I am very thin-skinned: as soon as people tell me that setting up such a facility is a Herculean task, I say ok and move on. Scott remains robustly convinced that Hospice will happen, dear man - perhaps after my sons are grown and in college. At any rate, Ms. K does not appear to be grieving her son; she did last year as soon as his cancer was diagnosed, but does not seem very sad now. It's a bit unusual, but I remember one of my counsellors, a Ph.D. psychology resident at my med school in San Antonio, perseverating on the "How do you feel?" question during our tearless sessions after my brother's demise; Scott said it would benefit her immensely if I would just burst into tears. I suppose, similarly, that it would benefit us hugely if Ms. K burst into tears, but that ain't happening, so we must be content in Ms. K's dealing of the situation.
The Banyan's new facility was inaugurated by our former president, Dr. Abdul Kalam, and it is in a rural area near the beach. I think I will be very involved in it, and look forward to it. The inauguration was a melee, as Dr. Kalam is a very popular man, and the crowds gathering to see him were huge. I remain impressed and grateful to Vandana and Vaishnavi that they have started this facility where all of us can take care of the destitute to our hearts' content.
We had a house full of guests this weekend. My widowed sister-in-law, Susan, was here w/ my niece, Sanjana; Sudhir, my nephew, is in catering college in Chennai and the family met, and appeared happy in each other's presence. We had 3 formal events to attend, including a wedding and a farewell to my scientist aunt, Indira, and life was extremely hectic. I had to run things at 2 of these events, and we had to stick to schedules, always a challenge w/ my 3 Weiss men and Susan, who tend to run late as a matter of bloodflow. Argh! However, we did manage to enjoy each other's company, and I remain grateful that my family and I get along. Anytime we manage to provide some kind of succor to Susan, I consider that a blessing as life is very hard for a young widow in India. Or indeed anywhere.
Well, I'd better wind up. My bed is calling me and I must answer.
"Her journalism, like a diamond, will sparkle more if it is cut." - Raymond Mortimer (of Susan Sontag)
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
8:16 AM
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