Dia DiCristino’s Blog

Step into my mind…

Category : life

Death

You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek
it in the heart of life?

The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear, of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor.

Is the not joyful not Joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?

Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only the river of only when you drink from silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran

Mandarin Friend

My brother Joseph bought me the entire set of Felicity DVDs for my birthday and I have been watching nothing but since. Of course it immediately reminds me of my own college days, the people I would hang with and the interesting experiences we all had.

Unfortunately a friend from back then, Lori, just died 3 days ago, and I found this out yesterday. I have so many memories of this person because we were always around each other my freshman and sophomore years of university–we shared some funny times and some depressing times. Our fathers both died 10 days apart which we both found to be somewhat freaky. When my dad died, Lori said, “I don’t know how you could be sitting in class right now because if that happened to me I wouldn’t be able to survive.” Then 10 days later she was going through the exact same thing. The summer after this we were both working for this music therapy conference–about 40 people came over to Immaculata from Japan and we had to look after them. It was one bizarre year for us.

Lori and I both worked at Camilla hall and she really helped me out when I got yelled at for not wearing the appropriate white trousers. She went and bought me a pair in which an elderly nun immediately vomited on. We both laughed.

I remember Lori making sure I was OK after I found out my cousin was killed in a car crash that following semester. She was a good friend. I am saddened that so many I have known have left this world too soon. Lori was an extremely talented poet and pianist. One of my favorite memories of her was when we were eating our usual geriatric meal in the cafeteria, I was talking about hair frizz and different methods to avoid this, and out of the blue she shouted, “Mandarin friend?!??!” You had to be there.

I feel so sad that she died all alone…no one should die all alone…no one…

Cortisone Injection Reaction

If you are experiencing lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, night sweats, fever, feeling out of it, extreme fatigue and stomach pain after a cortisone injection, you are not alone. I had a cortisone injection 4 days ago into my knee, and ever since I have basically felt like my anemia came back, but guess what? It isn’t the anemia, it is a reaction the cortisone injection caused.

Immediately after my injection I started to feel lightheaded and out of it. The next day I was so tired I couldn’t even move, and now four days later it isn’t letting up. I called the duty doctor who says it is the cortisone injection and nothing to do with my blood. He says it will fade off in a little while. It can take over a week for this side effect to go away, which leads me to this question: Why did the rheumatologist tell me there were no side effects? I asked about 3 times before the injection and she said no! That is just bull shit. What did she desperately want me to have it? Besides it being extremely painful, now it has knocked me down for almost 5 days!

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Copyright © 2011 Dia DiCristino