First day of December

It’s the first day of December. A month ago, Nancy’s kidney had been in me less than a full day. That morning, with some difficulty but a sense of triumph, I managed to type a short entry about the operations having gone well for both of us.

It has been impressive in recent weeks to see a good deal in Dutch newspapers about kidney donation. It has become a much-discussed topic in Holland. Here is a drawing that appeared a few days ago in one of the main dailies, Volkskrant, that reminds me a bit of the 13th century Adam and Eve illumination I posted on this site a few days after the blog started -- see the entry for October 22. In this case, it’s a contemporary image of the possibility of oneness of man and woman. Not that one so easily finds evidence, in this fear-driven world, of human divisions being overcome, but every living organ donor gives a sign of the communion that is within our reach. (Double-click on the image to see it enlarged.)

Every day we get notes asking how we’re doing. We’re in great shape, recovering at a brisk pace. This week Nancy let her translation clients know she is ready to resume work, while I’m biking once again and in general carrying on life as usual, also getting back to work. The main result so far is an expanded version of Adam and Eve blog entry, “The Original Oneness of Adam and Eve.”

Some hours have been spent the last week or two laying the foundation for a special issue of In Communion, the quarterly journal of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship, on the theme of Orthodox-Muslim dialogue. If the puzzle pieces come together in time, it should become our spring issue. Meanwhile the winter issue -- on the theme of walls -- is being guest-edited by Alex Patico, the new OPF secretary for North America.