Round 2

Neither my husband nor I was able to sit on a low stool, as is traditional, when sitting shiva for our respective mothers. In my case, it was because my mother was buried in Israel, so we had no local funeral home to supply the usual boxes. (My sister and I sat on folding chairs and made it a point not to lean back--that was the closest we could manage, being a bit too old to sit on the floor.)

In my husband's case, it was because he was in surgery having a hernia repaired when his mother died--he made it to the funeral, but certainly couldn't shovel dirt into his mother's grave, as is traditional, and couldn't safely sit or get up from such a low position.

Round 2 was today--he just had another hernia repaired.

All is well, now that he's stopped bringing up his lunch--acid reflux and anesthesia are a poor combination--and is resting comfortably at home. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm finally awake enough (after getting him to the hospital at 6:30 AM) to go get his Percocet painkiller prescription filled, just in case. There are some advantages to living in this neighorhood--the nearest 24-hour pharmacy is only a block and a half away.