Everything was sailing along nicely till the past week. Graham and I have settled into our new surroundings and love our home and garden.  He’s been on holidays and enjoying just being at home and being able to go off on mtb rides. And there the problem began.  He had a crash last Tuesday and is now in hospital for an unknown amount of time. He’s had a spinal cord injury and it’s still too early to tell how long he may be unable to use his right hand and arm, or some other limbs.  Some improvement daily, but very slow. There is still bruising and swelling so it won’t be till that goes down that they can see what damage might be longer lasting.

He’s being shifted to a rehab hospital today to begin the process of learning to walk again – his legs do work, although the right one is weak, but he’s not able to hold his own weight as yet and needs a frame.  And his left hand can be used but his right one not.

When we are home together we sit comfortably in our silence together. We don’t feel the need to talk all the time – just to be there, together, doing our own thing, reading, writing, surfing the web, and so on. But now with him not in our home, the silence has turned into something I don’t like.  The radio is on, and so is my computer, but he’s not here…

It’s not like it is when he’s away somewhere – I can ring him, text him, email him and know I’ll hear back from him. But he can’t use his phone at the moment so even if I try to ring or send him a message, he’s unable to answer or respond.  The silence has become something almost overwhelming. I miss him terribly.

Value your life partners and their company, no matter how much noise, or how little noise they make. There is comfort in companionship and knowing your loved one is within reach.  I need a hug.