Today’s weather is depressing. “This is what I don’t like about West Virginia winters,” Allen said as I drove him to the Intensive Trauma Therapy Institute today. “Most days are soggy, chilly, and dark.”
Yesterday was dreary, too, and the weather didn’t help Allen’s struggle with “the Wednesdays,” a phrase coined at the Trauma Institute to describe the predictable midweek downturn most patients experience.
When I picked him up at 4:30 yesterday, we did all we could to banish the Wednesdays. The weather and traffic conspired against us, but we persevered. First, we ate an early supper at Panera. (You’ll be pleased to know I didn’t spill a thing!) Then we threaded our way through the most bizarrely laid out parking lots and frontage roads we’ve ever seen, right into rush hour traffic.
After a fruitless trip to Blockbuster Video to rent silly comedies (we were too cheap to pay $10 bucks for two DVDs), we spent ten minutes trying to cross the street to get to a Kroger’s Market so Allen could pick up some hair ties. We found the ties and a DVD rental kiosk (kinda like Red Box) where we scored big time – Get Smart and Stranger than Fiction for $2!
A rush hour accident snarled traffic, and as we inched along, I looked Allen straight in the eye. “I’ve never been in a traffic jam with you before. This could be a defining moment in your new life.” That declaration set us both giggling, so we were primed and dangerous by the time we arrived at the motel and slid Get Smart into the computer.
The movies and your prayers crushed the Wednesdays completely. This morning, Allen was a bit more cheerful. He teased me about my tendency to over-plan and joked about the dark colors that comprise his present wardrobe. There was confidence in his step and hope on his face as he entered the Institute to face another day of memories.
The weather says “Wednesday” this morning – depressing, wet and cold, dark and gloomy. But the calendar says it’s Thursday, and God says there’s sunshine after the rain. Someday, my son and I will see it. Then, we’ll laugh.
