Yesterday Sophie and I drove over to Will Rogers State Park, sat in the grass and watched the polo game. I'd never seen an actual polo game and was fascinated by the way the riders held their sticks. The little ball was hard to see, but everytime the horses thundered by us, Sophie looked up and followed them. We walked through the grassy field and then we got back in the car and drove home. It was a good morning, but Sophie had her fair share of seizures, and somewhere along the way I realized that I hadn't thought to ask Dr. Jin about Sophie. I had a post a while back about Dr. Jin and how Chinese medicine helps me. I've also written about it in my book, a chapter of which was published here.
I called Dr. Jin from the car and in a teary voice asked her whether I could bring Sophie over for a treatment. She said, yes, so that's what I did.
With needles all over her head and in between her eyebrows, Sophie didn't even flinch. She lay back on the table and closed her eyes periodically. She looked out the windows, at the trees through the blinds. She looked at me, and I sang songs to her. Oliver was with us, and while Dr. Jin left the room to prepare the teas, he fiddled with the heat lamps and sang along with me.
May the long time sun shine upon you
All love surround you.And
the pure light within you
guide your way on.
When I drove home the sun was behind me and it came through the back window of the car and backlit Sophie's and Oliver's heads. They looked like they were floating in it. Floating in sunshine.
so beautiful, I am crying.
ReplyDeleteYou describe a moment so beautifully! Does a treatment like that have any lasting positive effects?
ReplyDeleteI have been here reading posts for nearly an hour and -- I think you're amazing. So glad I found you.
ReplyDeleteHang on. Sometimes that's all you can do. I'm with you.
ReplyDeleteI just checked in through Lisa's blog and I'm impressed. My hopes and prayers for your daughter.
ReplyDeleteI discovered the Incredible String Band back in 1967 when I was 15. The wonderful last lines of "A Very Cellular Song" still resonate.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have found your blog! Now I have some catching up to do.
Steve and Lisa, welcome! And thank you for the string band comment, Steve. I checked the song out and loved it. Reminds me of my life long ago in Tennessee with a mountain man I knew then. The final verse is an old Irish ballad that we sing daily in a Kundalini yoga class --
ReplyDeletebeautiful post. and thanks for linking to your piece in the LAtimes. your writing is remarkable, so real i can feel your presence like i am standing beside you at the stove.
ReplyDeletethis line in particular got me in my heart: " I believe, as I brew the herbs. I believe. I believe that they will help her, that they are invested with the power of ancient wisdom and that if I do it correctly, with faith, they will work."
i believe too.
take care.
Elizabeth--And I thought the ISB had written the lines. Some of my wife's high school classmates believed Lennon and McCartney had written the Marseillaise! They gave credit to the authors of the first part of "A Very Cellular Song," but since the end is from an Irish blessing, I guess they didn't have to give credit.
ReplyDeleteSteve, and what is it about high schoolers and the Marseillaise? I STILL remember it, verbatim: for some reason, we had to MEMORIZE it in ninth grade French class. Honestly, I can still sing it word by word, in French. And I'm not young.
ReplyDeleteThis is so lovely, Elizabeth. I've been thinking of trying acupuncture for a while now, and I've found a place near my house that's affordable, but I've been putting off making the call. You just gave me the nudge I needed.
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