I hadn't had a stroke after all. Rather, I had a whammy of a case of vertigo.
I spent a lot of time in bed, lived in my nightgown and housecoat, and had bedhead all the time. I was a sorry mess for months. I started reading some books by L.M. Montgomery. I read Anne of Green Gables books, Emily books, Story Girl books and Pat of Silver Bush books. I've read through these many times since I was 11.
I noticed in the Pat books that Pat's mother was sick a long time. She spent her time in bed, and the family knew she couldn't be taxed or she would become more ill. Eventually, Pat's mother got better to the point that she could join the family, though she never became really strong again.
Hmm. That struck a chord.
One piece in particular stayed with me. Pat had been really ill, and eventually was well enough to sit up in bed. Then she could sit in a chair and look out the window, but recovery was painfully slow. Old Judy said to her, "Patsy, darlint, ye must be going careful. There's to be no running all over for a while yet. Just sit ye still and listen to yer hair growing."
That is what I did. And I related to what Old Judy said in a way that I never had before.
I finished the L.M. Montgomery books and found a Bobbsey Twins series, which I'd read as a child. I went through them all. I moved on to the Nancy Drew series, which I had actually never read before. I was very thankful to have them on my own bookshelves. Going to the library ... impossible.
These books got me through the winter months of illness.
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