I wanted to tell you right away that I placed the order for Connie’s chair last night around 9 p.m., the Army Of Good sent more than $1,000 in donations for her chair and for the Mansion Fund by then, and I thank you, I just don’t have any better words.

I bought a Medlift three-way reclining chair with infrared heat for $889 with free shipping, I spent an hour reading the Medlift reviews and this is a company that is well reviewed and regarded and experienced in reclining lifts for the elderly.

The chair will arrive in 6 to 10 days. I thought I would wait until Wednesday to order it, but I had enough money quickly, there was no reason to wait.

It was not the cheapest chair but the best reviewed and the one that will meet Connie’s needs. I don’t think there’s time to mess around with returns and trials. I wanted to be sure.

I am not free to disclose medical details except to say that Connie  is suffering greatly.

This chair will not cure her or miraculously end her struggle. There are no miracles in assisted care.

But it will make her much more comfortable as she struggles to heal, and for whatever remaining time she has in her life.

You are keeping hope alive for me and for so many other people with your generosity and trust and empathy.  It is, in fact, so much better to do good than to argue about what is good. this is our path back to compassion and peace.

Connie badly needs this chair to try and get well, and I don’t wish to mislead anybody, her struggle will be an uphill and difficult one.

The lift reclining chair will at the very least make her more comfortable as she works bravely and with great heart to be well, and to stay at the Mansion.  It’s infrared heat will help her back to heal, and the chair’s flexibility and mobility will help her move and stimulate her circulation.

Her doctors are hopeful. The way Medicaid facilities work is this – assisted care facilities provide food and shelter and minimal care, if the resident needs continuous medical care on a higher level, they must go to a nursing home.

None of the Mansion residents wish to go to nursing homes.

Connie is adamant that she wants to say in the Mansion, and the Mansion staff is working hard to help her stay there.

The chair will  help her, but she, of course, must ultimately decide  how much she wishes to help herself. The chair will be a huge incentive and morale boost for her, and thanks, thanks, thanks.

I am simply overwhelmed at the compassion that so many of you displayed so readily, sending contributions that ranged from $5 to $25 to $300 within minutes of my asking for help. I just won’t know tonight exactly how much money is coming in, the Army Of Good is certainly on the march.

Almost every message said they were happy to help Connie and also to replenish the Mansion refugee fund which had begun to run low – I decided to give everyone a rest and didn’t solicit much these past weeks and months.

I said last night that any overage would go immediately to the fund that supports the Mansion residents and the immigrant refugees we are also trying to help. I will be re-connecting with them later in the week.

Tomorrow, I will go to the Mansion to help with the poetry workshop we are working on and to tell Connie her chair is on the way, she doesn’t need to try to get the chair herself.

I think we will accomplish both goals tonight – getting Connie her chair and helping the fund so we can continue our good work.

So Connie’s chair is on the way, and I’ll count up the donations, I believe the fund will end up close to where I would like it, between $1,500 and $2,500.  I wanted to share this news right away.

I will figure it all out in the morning. Today lifted my heart. I realized today I frightened a number of people by writing we were thinking of moving to New Mexico, some of the residents were quite upset with me for thinking about it.

I said we did think about it, New Mexico is a very beautiful place, but we are not going anywhere in the foreseeable future. We have lots of good work to do here, or perhaps at all. It feels like home to me, and I think, also to Maria.

I thank you with all of my heart, I hope you appreciate yourselves and what you have done.