“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Today, Christmas Day, was very cold indeed—below zero last night, and only 10 above when I left for the hospital this noon. I warmed up the car first, as I’d done yesterday. Jane was doing well. No hydro this morning. In 330 I found presents from the Bumbalos for both of us. Georgia made Jane a beautiful wool small-size covering or blanket. Peg and Bill Gallagher visited Jane at 11:00 last night, sneaking in through the emergency exit, Jane said, and left presents, including wine, for us. I didn’t expect presents from anybody, and so hadn’t planned to get anything for others beside Jane. Jane and I exchanged our own gifts—candy for her, designer jeans—black and gray—for me [to my great surprise].

(Margaret Bumbalo gave Jane a colored-glass butterfly of yellow and blue-stained glass, opened flat for a wall decoration, and fastened by a suction cup. At first I thought it quite a useless gift, even if beautiful. But when I awoke to the fact that I could fasten it to a window pane via the suction cup, it was transformed somehow into a perfectly valid, evocative decoration of nature. And it was a lesson for me. “I’d have never thought of buying something like that for a gift,” I told Jane.

(At noon Georgia brought in a heaping plate of lasagna, salad and chicken wings, which I hardly ate in all the excitement. Several of the staff gave Jane little gifts. Patty played two flute solos for us in 330. Later in the afternoon Jane and I had small portions of the ice-cream cake I’d bought for the staff; very rich.

(But while we were eating those portions, another new development in Jane’s progress occurred —and an important one. She suddenly asked me to lay the paper dish holding the cake on her lap, and to give her the spoon. She then proceeded to feed herself—awkwardly, it’s true, and with her left hand—but she managed to carry it through, to my complete surprise. She was very pleased at the accomplishment. She said she’d asked mentally that she have some new development to show me on Christmas Day.

(Jane did no exercises. At 4:01 she began reading yesterday’s session. She got through it, but had a rough time doing so. She finally finished at 4:26. She had a cigarette while I talked of going out to the parking lot to run up the car. This reminded me of the bitterly cold days when I did the same thing years ago while working at Artistic Card Company—the job that brought us to Elmira.

(Jane’s right foot, the big toe area on the underside, had been bothering her off and on all afternoon, as though it was getting ready to become more active. She did want to have a session. or “do something” this afternoon, even if it was a holiday. So did I.

(4:41 PM. It was almost time to turn Jane on her side, but first I read the session to her. When I did turn her, I massaged her with Oil of Olay, then went out to run up the car. It was very cold once more, but the car started okay. I left behind in 330 two complete trays for Christmas dinner. Jane had eaten so much through the afternoon that she wasn’t really hungry. I wasn’t too ravenous myself, so I took a nap until 5:45, and we began eating a little before 6:00.

(I read the prayer with Jane at 7:17, and left 330 at 7:25. I guess, Jane, the best present I could offer were my notes at the end of the last session, about trying to appreciate what we have, be grateful that we have what we have, and know that things can only get better from here on in. I know you agree. I love you. Happy 1984!)