Appreciating Health

"Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers."  3 John 2

Finally.  It is February 8, 2013, and I am finally coming out from the fog of sickness which began on New Year's Eve.  Yesterday afternoon I took my last dose of the fourth antibiotic in a row that I've been prescribed for sinusitis and bronchitis.  In the first five weeks of the new year, I visited the doctor 5 times and had 5 injections into my ample bootay.  I coughed, blew my nose and groaned my way through the entire month of January.  Poor Steve.

My outlook has been bleak.  My disposition has been less-than-sunny.  My attitude has been grumpy and ungrateful.  My energy level has been zilch.  All of the coughing made my blood pressure go up to alarming levels.  I've missed activities I really enjoy -- such as  Wednesday choir rehearsals and singing on Sunday morning -- because I didn't want to distract or infect everyone around me with uncontrollable coughing fits. 

However, even though the Groundhog DID see his shadow, and we're facing 6 more weeks of winter, I am feeling better, and the world looks like a good place to me once again.  God has continued to teach me, even when my spirit was pretty much unteachable.  Here are some lessons from the first 6 weeks of 2013:

1) My newly-retired husband -- my own personal Silver Fox -- has endless patience, and I do mean ENDLESS.  No telling how many hours of his sleep were interrupted by my coughing.  He pitched in to keep meals prepared, and he barely uttered a grunt of complaint as the laundry piled up.  He has been attentive and kind.  I have always known in my heart that he would be steadfast and devoted if I should ever be diagnosed with something serious, even terminal, and he affirmed that for me yet again without saying a word.  His actions said it all.

2) In spite of the aggravation of my recurring infections, I'm generally blessed with good health.  Just last week, my yearly mammogram results came back as NORMAL (thank you, Lord).  That's a big deal to me.  My mother and sister both had breast cancer.  Several dear friends have had it.  I had a biopsy in 1992 that was benign, but it's probably in the back of every woman's mind -- "Will this be the time when something is seen in that mammogram?"

3) Our great friends, Rick and Martine Sharp, are going through MONSTER health challenges right now.  They are in Little Rock, AR, as Rick endures massive doses of chemotherapy, endless tests and shots, and the loss of his hair as he is prepared to harvest stem cells to be used for a transplant to treat his multiple myeloma.  Martine is beside him every step of the way.  They are facing these days with grace, a positive spirit, and the sure knowledge that God is powerful, He is the Great Physician, and that the outcome belongs to Him.  They are observing each day as the prayers of their many friends are being heard and answered in amazing ways.  What examples they are for all of us who are watching from the sidelines!  

So, that's where my mind is today.  I'm well.  I'm ready to be useful again.  I want to do my part around this house and in my church.  I'm eager to spend time with friends and get a fresh outlook and perspective from them.  And, as the prayer at the top of the post says, "I pray that in all respects YOU may prosper and be in good health."

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everybody!