January 23, 2022

Dear family and friends, 

    We had some beautiful snow at Christmas time for a few days, but no sign of it since; just our typical rain and chilly weather. True’s indoor orchids are doing very well and we’ve even had a blossom already on the camellia bush outside, with many, many buds waiting to blossom out in February. I love their beautiful pink color and the perfect symmetry of their petals, and have, in past years, shared their beauty as boutonnieres for our ward bishopric, young priests, and even the deacons serving that day. It makes them feel so special! I may still be able to do that again this year, we’ll see. 

    We've been cooped up here because of the cold weather, but a few days ago in the afternoon, True said I should try using the motorized wheelchair that had sat on the back porch for months. So, I got all bundled up, then sat down and took off down the ramp and onto the street. I went around the corner and started down 1st street when the chair began to act sort of ‘funny.‘ It was just chugging along, so I pushed for it to go faster, but it hesitated, and wouldn’t go faster. So, I turned around and started for home, but it began moving slower and slower along the way. It was so slow that I worried if it might konk out before getting me there. But even though I did finally make it home, its power was completely gone, so I was STUCK at the bottom of the ramp, with no way to go further. I yelled for True, but she was unable to hear me, because of the washing machine and the heat pump running. As I sat there, I prayed to Heavenly Father for help. Within a few minutes, I heard a voice behind me say, “Marie, are you alright?” My answer was, of course, “NO!” It was my neighbor, Iris, taking her dog for a walk, and she was able to open the back door and call to True, who brought my regular wheelchair for me to transfer into. She was then able to charge up the battery of the other one and have it ready for another time. 

    I managed to get through that problem okay, but another one is ongoing, and I don’t know how to solve it. It’s now over a year since the amputation of my leg, and I have felt very thankful that I have been able to set goals along the way and accomplish them. This has kept my spirits high. However, since I received a prosthesis, who is to be my “Buddy” for the rest of my life, I have had nothing but problems and troubles, to where I am becoming disappointed and discouraged that I am not further along in learning to use and actually walk on that leg, although I do attend frequent visits to a physical therapist who helps me with strengthening my arms and good leg, and often works with the other one too. Buddy has been back and forth, in and out of the shop, as they try to correct the little nuisances that keep me from feeling free from pain, from feeling safe and comfortable in wearing it, and from hearing sounds and noises that shouldn’t be there. So, I really haven’t had all that much time to get really meaningful practice time with it. 

    Also, I have had to put up with the supposed cures for these and other various ‘ailments’ that have arisen, due to the comments I make about what I sense or feel when wearing the prosthesis. The prosthesis itself is very heavy and awkward, and it takes patience and skill in getting its parts lined up correctly in the first place. Now I have to add a corset-type contraption that takes ‘three’ hands to put on right and make it snug, with a velcro fastener that is so hard to pull apart it hurts my fingers doing it. The worst part is, it wraps so tightly around my hips that I have to pull it completely off and put it back on again tightly every time I use the potty, and that is ridiculous! 

    So, as you can see, I’m not a very happy camper right now. I was beginning to wonder if I was perhaps the cause of some of these troubles, because, due to the swelling and cramping of the foot and toes on my good foot, my leg may not be functioning properly. In mentioning this to True, she said that I probably needed a bigger shoe now, and suggested I try one of hers. We wear the same size. I tried hers on, and it did have more toe room. So, I just inherited a new pair of gray athletic shoes. And, of course, Buddy had to change shoes, too. I’m not sure that it will really make a difference in my performance, but it did make my good foot feel much better. 

    I want you to know how grateful I am for a Heavenly Father who knows and loves me and often works through other people to show me that. Just a couple of days ago, when I was really down-in-the-dumps and awfully discouraged, there came a card in the mail. It was from Cathy, my daughter-in-law, who always finds appropriate cards for every occasion, but I knew of no occasion now, unless maybe a late Martin Louis King Day one, if they even have such a thing. But anyway, when I opened that big envelope, I saw a rather simple card showing a cute little figure of some sort lassoing the sun, bringing it down and putting it in a mailbox. Then on the inside the message said, “Sending a Little Sunshine Your Way,” followed by a smiley face and her note expressing her love for all and faith in God. It was so sweet and cheering, I immediately sat down and sent her a Thank You card, telling her how much it had brightened my dreary day, and wondered how she knew to send that particular type of card on that particular day! I guess I already knew the answer to that one, and was grateful for His way of helping me. 

    So, with that good thought in mind and knowing of a few nice things due to happen in February, I will leave you for now and fill you in about those upcoming events when I write again at the end of next month. Did you enjoy your Christmas puzzles everyone?