When the days move so slowly                                                                                                                                    

                                                A blog reflection before my skull surgery

It was meant to happen sometime in September this year, but with the COVID pandemic in a rather uncontrolled way that is happening in our city of Singapore, my surgeons have decided to move the surgery into 2 November instead.  Of course, part of the reason they want to move it is because I have developed an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the past few weeks and they are wary that this could complicate matters in my post surgery recovery, whether it is in the hospital or when I am moved back into my mother’s residence.  The doctors held an informative interview with me to find out more details about my coughing from the infection and they decided (with consultation with the senior surgeons at the hospital) that it would be best for me to have successfully emerged from the infection before the prolonged surgery to my cranial section of my head.  I am grateful for this decision though there is admittedly a part of me that wishes that I don’t have to wait until November to come before I can check in to the hospital for the needed surgery.  Right now, the PEEK plates have yet to arrive from Switzerland for my surgery, and there really is no point to rush things.  

It is for this reason that each day before November sees me sitting around in the home where mum lives, and I am often finding myself pondering what I could do to make the time go by quicker and with some degree of productivity.  The writing of this blog on an almost weekly basis does fill my mind, but I do wonder what it is that I can write about that shows that I am using my creativity in a good way.  A good blog that has some structure and form would reveal that I am using my brain in a creative and positive way, and I do pray about what I could write about that will hold the interest of my readers throughout the world.  Apparently so far, the writing has been positive and people from all over the world have reached out to me to thank me for my writing efforts, and I find that I am using the time in a positive way when I am putting together a script for this blog.  I hope that today’s blog is a positive experience for all.

Every day, I occupy my time with prayer, and use it to meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary and its many different joyful, sorrowful, glorious and luminous mysteries.  Each one of them has at least five different aspects of the life of either Mary or Jesus, and they help me in offering up my own sufferings for the benefit of so many in the world who are going through a tough time with the COVID situation - not just here in Singapore, but in so many other countries all over the world.  I keep thinking of the many friends I have who are going through a challenging time in their lives in various ways, and this makes my prayer so meaningful and rich.  I enjoy telling them in messages that I had prayed for them in my daily prayer and their reaction is always so positive and grateful.  I will continue to do this each day before the surgery happens in November.

Each day I celebrate the Eucharist in my mother’s home and I invite her to the Mass.  I spend some part of each day writing my homily script for the next day’s Mass, and in the early morning, I am always positive that the text I use is something uplifting for my mother and anyone who turns up to participate in the Eucharist.  I inevitably bring into the reflection how important it is for us as disciples of Jesus to enter into the pondering of what real wisdom  and understanding of Sacred Scripture is in life, and I try my best to encourage all present to nurture this positively in their lives.  It is something that the Holy Spirit will help us to attain, but we need to truly desire to increase this capacity to live it out in our lives.  

I do find myself wondering why it is that I am suffering in this way in my life at the age of 56, but there is no good reason why I was involved in an accident when I went out for my morning exercise on 24 May 2021.  All I should tell myself is that accidents happen when they do, and God must have his reasons why I sustained such an injury that morning.  I was supposed to go back to the parish the morning after my exercise to celebrate the morning Eucharist, but I do know that my parish priest was informed of my unfortunate situation and ended up in the hospital awaiting the surgery to my skull.  Thankfully, he stepped in to fill the gap I created and it was to the surprise of the parishioners that I was literally thrown out of action in the morning.  I have yet to return to the parish as I am now on medical leave and won’t be back in action until my medical leave ends around the end of November or even in December.  I keep praying for my parishioners who are living their parish lives without me tending to them.  

Right now, I am still unclear as to how I would be able to get a priest to come to bring me Holy Communion when I am in the hospital post surgery, but I will do my best to get some information from the hospital administration staff.  Thankfully, there is a Catholic Church that is within walking distance from the hospital and I do hope that one of their lovely priests can bring me the Sacrament when I need it the most.

If there is one thing that you, dear reader, can pray for me, it would be that I can find a way to have a priest bring me Holy Communion when I am recuperating from the surgery.  I am trying the best to face the surgery with a positive attitude and hope.  I am sure that your prayers will do wonders for me, and I want to thank you for this effort of kindness and love.  

November 2 is always the day when Catholics celebrate All Souls’ Day.  If my surgery does happen on that day, it will be a day when I will be needing the prayers that many will be offering up for souls who have gone to God.