The Opportunity of Patience
On Friday last (28 July 2017) after I had grilled dinner for our family, I made a quick trip out to the deck to gather the remaining utensils from dinner to bring inside. Barefooted and unafraid I picked up the tongs and spatula and turned on the wet deck and started inside. The next thing I remember was lying on my back with my feet completely behind me and my knees in front of me on the deck while Mary and the grandkids were trying to get me up and in the house. I do not want to imply that I passed out, only that this happened with such speed that it was a blur.
Once in the house as I sat in the chair, I collected myself and in an effort to calm everyone down I remarked, “I am fine” and stood up to show them that all was well and that I could walk. A second later I was again on the floor with seemingly no use of my right leg. Mary demanded that we go to the emergency room, but I prevailed and told her that we would go the next morning. The grandkids were freaking out because Pop-Pop was hurt.
On Saturday without any noticeable improvement I relented and went to the ER. In a matter of moments the attending Doc, said “I am convinced that you have ruptured your quadriceps tendon. After x-rays and other test, I was told that the orthopedic surgeon would see me on Monday and that I should be prepared for surgery on Tuesday. Fast forward to Tuesday.
As predicted, I did have surgery on Tuesday and found myself in a full leg immobilization splint in my own bed at home by Tuesday evening. (As a sidebar, just as Mary was preparing to bring me home from the hospital, just as we started to leave the parking lot the electronic fuel pump in my vehicle failed leaving the front of my truck in the street and the back end of my truck in the parking lot of the hospital. Acting with calm and determination, Mary found help and got us pushed back into the parking lot, called a friend to drive me home, and then dealt with AAA in getting our truck to the mechanic.)
Since Tuesday I have been confined to the bed in our home with my leg immobilized and in a fair amount of pain. I have to confess the meds have made the pain tolerable, and my sweet Mary has been taking excellent care of me. She has once again proven to be my hero as she has done above and beyond in caring for me. I find myself feeling overwhelmed that she is having to do all of this for me. It seems I can do nothing for myself and for this I’m embarrassed. Each moment of everyday gives me new opportunities to be patient and thankful. As I sit here, I took the same assignment upon myself that I have given to so many others.
What as I grateful for in the midst of this inconvenience?
1. I am grateful that I have here and not in some other place around the world. I mean really, I am in my house, in my bed, watching my TV. I have nothing to complain about. When I stop to remember that many people whom I know around the globe would be facing this same situation while trying to get comfort and relief from their pain while sitting in the dankness of a hut with little hope of ever walking again.
2. I’m grateful for friends like Dr. David Ney who came by just to “sit and visit” with me on Friday. While I am sure he had plenty of other things to do, but for those three hours me made me feel like the most important guy in the world.
3. I’m thankful for the gags of people from around the globe to have reached out to me and assured me that they were praying for me.
4. I’m grateful for the hope that I have been given that on Friday of this coming week I will have a rigid cast placed on my leg which will give me a bit of mobility and at least allow me to get out of this single room in my house.
5. I’m grateful for my friend Jeff Andler who not only showed up at the hospital to sit with Mary while I was in surgery, but has called me every day since to make sure I was doing exactly what the medical personnel had instructed me to do. He also is going to transport me later this month to the airport so I can complete my Global Entry Access interview. (This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I promise you it is.)
6. I’m grateful that God is teaching me more about His grace and love each day. He is showing me the grace of patience hourly. While I do not know all that God is doing through this, I am confident that He is completely in control.