Missing from church
Last Sunday, I had a
lie-in. It would have been one church service to attend as it represented the
beginning of the judicial year, a civic service with the High Sheriff of
Manchester being the main celebrant ahead of the judges, lawyers, officers and
officials of the law, the civil service, the mayoralty, along with county and
council officials.
As a church steward,
apart from ushering in the congregants, some lead the officials in procession
at the beginning and end of the service. I would have been no use in the setup
as I would not have had the strength out of fatigue and other discomforts.
Selling funny
remedies
Yesterday, I was up
quite early and had at first wondered if I would attend the sung eucharist at
church, but with the force of will over the concerns about my ability, I got
up, showered, dressed up and hailed an Uber taxicab to take me to church.
As my voice was in
the spectral end of waned, as I explained to the driver the apparent
predicament, I was regaled with a tale of a black Frenchman who had herbal
cures for cancer. A friend of his had refused medical treatment and shelled out
about £1,500 for these medicinal goods that were packaged in something to make
you draw a sharp breath that he had been conned.
It transpired that
his friend having cut out meat, changed his diet and ingested these snake oil
concoctions on presenting himself for new medical tests had not eradicated
prostate cancer, however, it seemed contained and stable for years after, and
his doctor advised he continued whatever was helping this non-progression of
the cancer.
Making the medical
case
All through, I had my
misgivings, no effective medicine for prostate cancer sits in a backwater
grotto to be purveyed on YouTube channels where the spirit of hypochondria can
so easily possess you and you believe you have any ailment that presents without
an effective diagnosis.
I took his word for
it but made the case that if medical science has clearly diagnosed a condition,
medical science must have the last say on whether that condition persists or
has been cured. Whatever route you choose to procure a cure is left to you by
miraculous intervention, medical treatment, or some herbal remedy that seems
efficacious even if not subject to any peer review, just the positive reviews
of patrons of that service.
The more pertinent
issue is that we should all get tested and be assured of our situation, knowing
there is nothing to worry about or that something demands immediate attention.
Easy does it
I arrived at church
to a hearty welcome from everyone as I took my seat and well, sat through the
service except for the reading of the gospel and when I went for communion. In
the end, I was offered decaffeinated coffee, and chatted to other friends, before
I was given a lift back home.
I realise there is a
lot I desire to do, but much of it cannot be done because the strength and
capacity are not there. Sometimes, it is just the thought of a journey that
wearies me that my better judgement is to abort the idea. The side effects are
still a bother, it might take a while to fully recover.
The Village Church I
did not even bother to attend, though, I must send them a note about the end of
my treatment and my recuperation.