Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Sleepless in Pennsylvania

Sunday night, I had a pretty sleepless night due to the heebie jeebies (also known as the great American Tick fit). 

Monday night, I was awfully tired. Tim said he was headed for bed. I said I'd be right there. I was collecting some stuff to send off in an e-mail. 

I made the unfortunate mistake of thinking, "Let me check in on facebook..." and...well...(*mumble, shuffle*)

I saw a saw a funny picture, one that I quickly sent off to my youngest daughter. I knew that she'd be in bed, but it would be a laugh for her when she woke up. Lord knows, she needs a laugh. She's a newly-wed stranded in a foreign country alone, waiting for visa approval so that she can rejoin her husband who has returned to his home country after receiving a job there. 

Covid has made it even worse. He cannot leave country. As an American, she is a modern day leper, unwelcome in most of Europe, even though her passport plainly shows that she hasn't been in country for over a year and a half.  She's stuck. He's stuck. It stinks.

So...I sent her a laugh. 

Except that she answered right away. 

After three months of waiting, she's been told she may pick up her passport. She doesn't know if her spousal visa has been approved and she won't know until her appointment Thursday morning 9 AM, which is 1AM our time.

By the time that you read this, in less that 24 hours she'll finally know whether she can rejoin her husband.

There was an excited flurry of messages back and forth between us. I made her promise to call as soon as she could and never mind the time. I know that her husband will receive the first phone call, but I needed to be the second phone call. She agreed. We messaged a bit longer, but she had a lot to get done and so we cut it short. 

I pushed away from the computer and finally headed to bed, clocks all joining forces to signal midnight. I brushed my teeth and climbed into bed...and once again, I couldn't sleep.   I lay in the dark, praying prayers, hoping hopes and wishing wishes. I tossed and turned so much that I was afraid I was disturbing Tim who had to get up in the morning. 

I finally got up and headed for the living room with my pillow. I curled up with an afghan and I watched The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It was well after 3 AM. when I finally fell asleep. 

I was up early (though not so early as Tim). The coffee was savored more than usual. I headed to my sister's house to keep her company on a road trip.  Then I returned to stand in a cold drizzle to unload  another load of rough cut lumber,

I'm home now, and I'm tired, and I absolutely have to get to bed early tonight, because I tell you true: although I had told  her that I'd sleep with the phone right by the bed Wednesday night, I lied. I probably won't sleep at all. I'll be sitting by the phone in the middle of the night, willing it to ring.

I haven't been this short of sleep since I had babies to tend. If you've got a moment, think good thoughts for my girl today.



8 comments:

  1. Hi. Taking a look round. Thanks for dropping in on my blog.

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  2. Awwww Debby, my heart sank when I read about your daughter & her visa. Please be assured of my prayers all day today, for GOOD news!

    You and I are sistas in the insomnia department. I'm typing this at 6:44am, after not sleeping one solitary wink last night. The only saving grace is that I'm retired now and don't have to do one dang thing I don't want to. I don't know how I'd function during the day, as you do, without sleep. I know I used to do it years ago but not now, at 64 years old. When I say prayers for your daughter, I'll include some for you too.... and myself as well. We both just have to sleep!

    ~Andrea xoxo

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  3. Oh what I would give to sleep like I did when I was eight years old. I thought once I gave up the nine to five gig, I would revert back to sleeping well since I no longer had to stay up in the wee hours of the night thinking about work. It didn't work that way. Instead I stay up in the wee hours of the night thinking about that project I'm working on in the garage or that blog post I meant to write but never did. Like you, I just got up and went downstairs to surf the internet and let my wife get a few more hours of sleep since she has to get up early. Now she's gone, the kids are at school and here I am back on the internet instead of working on the shop project that kept me up half the night.

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  4. We will be anxious to know the outcome! Hope your good sleeping returns soon. I have been blessed to be one who can pretty much lie down and go to sleep. That’s not to say it’s always that way, especially when something is eating at me, but generally I’m a good sleeper.

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  5. Sending good thoughts your way.
    I read your comment on Hester's blog and want to encourage you not to give up on crocheting (or knitting). I taught myself to crochet using a little booklet and now there are loads of you tubes etc to help left handed folk. It would be a great relaxation for you.
    Where are you in PA, I have friends in Bethlehem and Pringle.

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  6. I hope the news is good! Keep us posted!

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  7. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving the comment about Uncle Wiggily. Hope your daughter gets to rejoin her husband... and you get some sleep.

    I generally sleep pretty well - do get up a few times during the night to visit the facilities, but usually go right back to sleep. However, I do have occasional nights when I awake at 3 am with 'things' on my mind (end up making a cup of tea and reading blogs for an hour or so, then returning to sleep) but luckily this doesn't happen too often.

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  8. You will get an extra hour thi weekend, so that should help. Congrats on the visa.

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