Blessed

Sometimes, in the busyness of everyday life, being a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, etc. I forget to take notice of how very blessed I am.  Often, it takes the world grinding to a halt to make me really see how blessed I am again.

This Monday I had surgery. I have actually been putting off this procedure for about 5 years now and it really needed to finally happen. The life diplomatic doesn’t always allow for things to happen when they should. It is sometimes a struggle to stay in one place long enough or have the support system of friends and family in place to make certain things happen.  This surgery was one of those things. 

I won’t go into the gory details, but it is safe to say that I’ve been “out of it” most of the week.  Lying on my couch this week recovering, (when I’m not sleeping or trying to get a short walk in) I have had time to think about how this procedure has brought things back into perspective for me.  I am so very blessed.

I have a husband who cherishes me.  He watched episodes of “Glee” with me on my phone while we waited for it to be my turn to go into surgery.  He sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair without complaint because my IV was in the way and he couldn’t snuggle with me on the bed.  He kept me laughing so that I wouldn’t feel so nervous.  (Gross factor coming up) I woke up vomiting from the anesthesia and he was more than willing to clean me up and take care of me.  He drove to 2 different pharmacies trying to find the pain meds I was prescribed and when neither of them had it in stock he had them call another pharmacy closer to our house to make sure we could get it first thing the next morning. Hours later, he supported my still anesthesia “drunk” and vomiting self from the car into our house without getting frustrated because I had to stop every few feet.  And he helped me laugh at the ridiculousness of it all afterwards. He has been making sure that I am getting out for short walks but also making sure that I am not doing anything I shouldn’t. He has been so patient with the lack of routine right now.

I have a mom who loves me and my family.  She would move Heaven and Earth if we asked.  She took the time and expense to travel to DC and stay nearby for 10 days so that she could help with the kids, the house, and anything related to my recovery that I needed.  She has done the school run, grocery shopping, cooking, and laundry.  She has helped me in and out of my clothes, tied my shoes and lifted me off of the couch with patience and gentleness.  She has probably been bored sitting in my living room while I sleep for hours at a time, but hasn’t once mentioned anything of the sort.  She has been respectful of my family’s space and time. She exudes a quiet grace that I can only hope to emulate.

I have 2 amazing kids.  My daughter has stepped up to take on responsibilities that she would normally complain about.  She has been prompt in her regular chores. She has dialed back her usual tween-age sass about 1000%. She has been quite sweet and given me more hugs than I can count. She has been more thoughtful than usual. All of this on top of some really long school days the past 2 weeks as her school production of “Beauty & the Beast” has been rehearsed and performed.  My son, who usually moves at nothing less than 100 mph, has slowed down significantly.  He has been mindful that I am sore and that he needs to be gentle. He has been snuggly on the couch He has been gracious to me when I can’t lay down on his bed for snuggles and prayers at night and hasn’t complained because I can only sit on the edge of the bed and kiss his hand instead of his cheek.  He thrives on routine but has noticeably made an effort to keep it together despite the chaos.

I have sweet friends that have checked on me daily.  They started checking on me before I even had the surgery to see how I was feeling, or if they could help with the kids or meals.    They have sent prayers and well wishes for steady hands in the surgeon, speedy recovery, patience and grace for all of us through the process  They have known what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it.  They have sent me little gifts to make me smile and stave off boredom as I am stuck inside recovering. They have been more thoughtful than I could have imagined.

Seeing all of these blessings at once has made me realize that I need to do better seeing them on a daily basis. I hate that it takes something really significant to bring my blessings to the forefront. It is my hope that this little musing of mine reminds you to pay attention to your blessings too.