Mick McKellar Update--Day +97
The intrepid walkers hiked on down to Walgreens today. The weather was threatening -- steel gray clouds and a general heaviness in the air that usually precedes at least a shower or two. I took an umbrella, Marian did not. I used the umbrella for part of the walk, but did not need it for the return to the transplant house.
Medically, things are pretty much the same as yesterday. I feel OK, but still get fatigued easily. The rash seems lighter today, but that could be wishful thinking. Tomorrow is yet another "day off" from the testing, because Mayo Clinic is closed for Memorial Day. The hospital remains open, but we won't go there unless I have an emergency of some sort.
I took a nap this afternoon and all I remember from the dream was riding on a shuttle bus (probably here in Rochester) and watching a young woman read a letter. Wondering what might be in the letter, I tried to guess from the look on her face. (I've probably seen one too many episodes of Lie to Me.) As I watched her, her face softened a bit, and slow smile spread across her face, touching mostly her lips and her eyes. What an odd dream.
Upon waking, I remember seeing that expression on other's faces when reading a letter or an e-mail from a loved one -- the kind of message that is about nothing specific and everything in general. It is like the messages we receive from home, often about simple things that bring a bit of caring and love from a friend or relative and remind us of home. That smile, a silent smile, is a reflection of the quiet joy we feel inside. So I wrote a poem about it. Silent Smile appears below.
Thank you all for the messages, cards, letters, e-mails, and calls that will even break this great stone face into a silent smile. Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts.
God bless and good evening,
Mick
And now, Silent Smile
Did you ever watch someone read a letter and try guess the contents from the expression on his or her face? For some messages, the general nature of the contents is readily apparent -- especially strong emotions. Good news brings a grin, a chuckle, or a laugh. Bad news can show as anger or sadness. The one I like best, I call the silent smile.
Reading a letter from a friend that touches your heart and makes you feel warm and loved evokes a joy in your soul and an uplift to your spirit that softens the aspect of your face, and nearly always brings about a tender look in the eyes and uplift at the corners of the mouth...the silent smile.
Mick
Silent Smile
I watched her read a letter from a friend,
Her eyes moved back and forth at quickened pace.
I wondered if before she reached the end,
The contents could be read upon her face.
Sometimes her eyes would backtrack and re-read,
A word or passage slowly, carefully,
Or jump ahead with incredible speed,
To stop and gaze at something thoroughly.
Her face relaxed a little as she read,
And gentle tenderness filled her brown eyes,
To silently back what her soft smile said.
And though each fleeting aspect often hies,
A loving look will linger for awhile;
Knowing you're loved begets a silent smile.
Mick McKellar
May 2011