Update:
Health-wise I continue to grow stronger. I’ve added a number of upper body strength
exercises to my twice a day routine. Over
the last couple of days I’ve had a tight muscle in my residual limb and that
muscle in my back is a little sore again.
I think the two are related. Most
of the day my leg is elevated and straight.
With me in a wheelchair most of the time, that means I am bent at a 90
degree angle while sitting. So I am
trying to lay stretched out more on the couch or in the recliner to give it a
bit of a rest. I was really tired this
morning so after breakfast I went immediately back to bed. I was surprised that I slept for over two
hours. Guess I needed the rest.
Mike Ehrat came over on Tuesday afternoon and installed the “almost new”
dishwasher that Mark Duce gave me. Dick
and Zach Krueger carried our old portable dishwasher to the basement for
storage and then brought the table that Dick Bedward built me into the house. The old broken dishwasher got put in the
garage for disposal. I appreciate the
generosity of the Duce family for giving me the dishwasher. Mike finally got over the flu so he could
come over to work on installing it. Dick
and Zach walked in to a “could you guys help me?” ambush. Thanks everybody! It is so nice to have the extra dishwasher
out of the dining area and my table in place so I can use it daily.
Despite the beauty of the snow, it means work to shovel it. I appreciate Dick Krueger faithfully clearing
our driveway and walk. I also notice
Dick Bedward stopped by and cleaned the ramp and steps into the house off after
the snow finally ended.
My wife is my biggest helper. Karen
does the laundry, cooks most of the food and does the dishes. She runs the errands and goes searching
throughout the house for things that I need. “Before Thanksgiving, I think that
it was in my office…” Things have been
rearranged so much that I have no clue where many things are. She also lifts the wheelchair in and out of
the car every trip that I take with her (that’s a lot of work for her!!!). I appreciate all that she does for me.
I have had so many people do so many things for me—it is overwhelming
to consider. I’ve received items that I
needed, I have countless gifts of service done, I’ve gotten a bucket load of
cards with well wishes and I know that many have prayed over and over again for
me. I don’t take any of these
contributions to my welfare lightly. It
is humbling knowing that I will continue
to need additional help for the rest of my life; hopefully I can regain more
ability to do things on my own, but there will be some things that I will never
be able to accomplish on my own. I never
want to get use to others helping me and accept it casually. I always want to remain grateful for gifts
that have been provided.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 We always thank God for all of you and
continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work
produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
My life came to a crisis point for me on Thanksgiving Day 2013. In some ways, I have lost the last three
months with illness, hospitalization, and now recovery. I still have a Thanksgiving-themed wallpaper
on my office computer and my cover on FaceBook is about giving thanks. Out of date and yet still so appropriate! I
have so much to be thankful for this year that it cannot all be contained on
one single day. So every day I thank God
for His provision for me through you and people like you.
Thought for the Day:
There is the old song that we’ve sung in church that begins “Count your
blessings, name them one by one…” It is
a reminder for us to stop and take time to remember what we have to be thankful
for.
What do you have to be thankful for?
Have you expressed your thanks to those who have blessed your life? As a Christian, not only should I do that but
I also should thank God because ultimately “Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” (James 1:17).
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice
always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus.
So here are a few of the big ticket items that I am thankful for:
1) I am alive.
2) I live in a time and place with excellent medical care.
3) I have the support of many people.
4) I have a great prognosis of leading an active and full life.
5) I have a loving family who are giving up much of their time and energy to
assist me,
6) I have a job & a church family who are giving me the time to recover
& return to work as I am able.
7) I have a relationship with a loving God who strengthens and supports me
each step of the day.
I could take these
seven items and bust them down into hundreds of specific items to be thankful
for. I could give thanks to hundreds of
people and still not mention hundreds more.
For every act of kindness and support that I know about there are dozens
more that I am totally unaware of what they have done for me.
I am not suggesting
that my life is perfect and I have no problems.
I could easily make a list of things that I am NOT thankful for that
would fill up pages and pages. But what
would be the point? Just grumbling and
complaining which would drag me down emotionally and not do me any good (let
alone anyone within earshot).
So I choose to
focus upon the good things, the blessings, and things that I am thankful for. When I take that approach, I am strengthened
and encouraged. My outlook is
better. My attitude is improved. I am happier and healthier. And I am easier for other people to be
around.
Here is what I have
found. Prior to my illness and
amputation, I would struggle to name off things I was thankful for. I could easily give you a list of things that
needed improvement. But it wasn’t
necessarily easy for me to give thanks.
And that is a shame because I had so much to be thankful for. What I have gone through has helped change my
attitude (it’s not perfect—but certainly improved).
I’ve noticed that I
have a changed perspective in a crowd. I
am sitting and everyone else is standing around me. I am lost in a forest of trees and can easily
be disconnected from the flow of conversation around me. In the kitchen, I look at the upper cabinets
much differently than when I stood on my own two feet. It is much easier for me to look children in
the eye and be down on their level. There
has also been a shift of perspective in my attitude and level of
thankfulness. I see things differently
than I once did.
For me, it took a
major life changing event to get me to change my perspective. I am hoping that you are able to learn from
my example and become more thankful without having to go through something like
I have. I think the big thing is to take
time to evaluate and remember. It doesn’t
have to be perfect for you to be thankful for it. Is it a positive in your life? Give thanks.
Did the person mean well? Give
thanks. In all things and in all ways,
give thanks to those who deserve it; especially to God the giver of all good
gifts.
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