When We Are Strong

life has been hectic in our household for the past two weeks.  my wife's sister and her husband were here visiting the first of those weeks.  we loved being with them, since we only see them once a year.  it was a very active week, going out of town on various activities each day.  by the end of the week, we were exhausted.  we took one day to rest and then launched into the week that has just passed.  during that week, we worked on thoroughly cleaning our house, i assembled a new exercise bike that my wife needs to recuperate from her upcoming knee surgery, i mowed the yard, we traveled about 200 miles round-trip for a couple of doctor appointments, and my wife honored three commitments to play bridge.  by the end of that week, we were again exhausted.

this week my wife has her knee surgery.  we are told that her recovery will be slow and painful, but worth it in the end because she will have so much more agility and an end to the constant knee pain she has endured in that knee.  in about three months, she will have the other knee operated on, and the cycle of recovery will begin again.  i joke with her that she will have bionic knees at the end of all this.  she is worried that having to care for her will be too difficult for me, but i look forward to her being able to be more active and pain-free.  i know that the outcome will be worth the effort involved for both of us.

we can tell that we are aging.  we can't take being on the go in stride as we used to.  we have to stop and rest more frequently.  we fall into bed exhausted.  we are grateful that our bodies allow us to do all that we do.  we see so many people who are younger than us who are forced to use mobility chairs to get around and who have had to give up many activities because of physical limitations.  our bodies are amazing creations.  how many things are there that can take the physical punishment that our bodies take and still continue to function?  our bodies often mend themselves, sometimes with medical intervention, and we take them for granted.  as we sense the aging of our bodies, we marvel at all they do for us.  the very fact that we are mobile and still able to perform the responsibilities of our lives is wonderful.  the opportunity my wife has to replace worn-out knee joints with new ones is something that would have been impossible not so many years ago.

may we rejoice in our continued ability to care for ourselves, our homes, and others.  may we be filled with gratitude that we are human, despite the increasing limitations of old age.  may we care for our bodies as best we can.  may we remember that continuing to be mobile requires us to use our bodies and, at times, to push through discomfort.  may we see each new day as a blessing.  shalom.