Gratitude in spite of….
The first part of November has been
crammed full of events including two major ones: Al’s having to schedule
surgery due to a fall on his first visit to a new gym; and a complete
remodeling of the sunroom in our house.
Al’s fall resulted a scrape on his
arm and a searing pain in his left shoulder. Although that joint had been
previously replaced, the rotator cuff muscles were still intact.
“Was it a torn rotator cuff?” we
wondered, praying that it wasn’t.
Amazingly, Al was able to see his
orthopedic surgeon and schedule an ultrasound at the hospital all within one
week’s time! It turned out that there was indeed a big tear in the rotator
cuff. How frustrating for him to face another surgery!
The surgeon recommended having a
revision of the first prosthesis, in which the ball and socket are switched
(called a Reverse Procedure)! With that procedure, the deltoid muscle is used
to raise the arm instead of using the rotator cuff.
“Do you want to go the rest of your
life without being able to lift your arm above your waist?” he asked. That
convinced Al to go ahead with it, even though he was reluctant to have more
surgery.
Soon after that incident, the
remodeling of a small room connected to the dining room turned our lives upside
down. Our friends, the VerHages, kindly offered to help clear it out before
workers began ripping out the paneling and carpeting. Jim, Sue and I moved a large metal plant
stand into the dining room and made several other trips carrying out various
items, until it was empty.
Then came the demolition crew, who also removed the glass door and side paneling between the dining room and sunroom. The one-day job was followed by the workers who plastered, sanded and painted the walls. Even though there was a large plastic sheet hung between the two rooms, fine white dust managed to sift through and cover the hardwood floor. It didn’t take long though, just a few days until the plaster had dried and the walls were painted.
Next came the removal of the old
drafty windows and the installation of new ones—a big project, but resulting in
a warmer, more comfortable living space. Finally, the new carpet was
installed…and remodeling was over! (Until the next project!)
With
the help of the VerHages, the plant stand, plants and other furnishing were put
back into place. Possibly due to over exertion, when I bent over to pick up
something from the floor the next morning, my back went out, making it to difficult
straighten up.
A strained back was minor compared
to the other two, but definitely one that slowed me down. Grocery shopping that
day was difficult, even with using a shopping cart as a walker, and Al’s
pushing the larger, heavier cart with the groceries. A constant barrage of
complaints filled my mind.
He drove me to the chiropractor’s
office, with the groceries still in the car, and after we returned home, helped
unload them. I put the bags on the seat of his “rollator” to transport them
through the kitchen! We didn’t start dinner until after 6:00, and by that time
were both hungry, tired and irritable. It was close to eight o’clock by the
time dinner was finished and the kitchen cleaned up.
Wishing I could lie down to relieve
the pain in my back, it was time to begin writing the Good News article for the
week. My poor attitude needed to be confessed to the Lord and readjusted first.
And what to write about? Thanksgiving was far from my mind at that point!
Then, the door to my study opened
and Al walked in. He gave me a hug, apologized and told me how much he loved
me. Suddenly, I had the message for the week.
Our 43rd wedding
anniversary was a few days before Thanksgiving. How thankful I was, and am,
that God brought Al into my life! God has helped us persevere and stand firm in
faith through many challenges.
When we celebrate Thanksgiving this
year, may we remember to express gratitude to God for His abundant blessings,
steadfast love and continued faithfulness in all situations. Happy
Thanksgiving!
(The above picture was taken in November, 2011 at the Ahwhanee Hotel in Yosemite...returning to the site of our honeymoon in 1982!)
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