This year won't be a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving at my house. My oldest son, along with my married son and his family, are home in Colorado. My daughter is traveling from Colorado to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with friends. Son #3 is here in Coeur d'Alene this year. My youngest son is at college in Utah and has to stay there and work on Thanksgiving.
I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner here at my house for my sister and her husband, my mom, my son, my husband and myself. But I will be hosting it from the bed in my guest room, and my guests will be bringing dinner in with them.
I'm recovering from foot surgery, and I am on doctor's orders to stay flat on my back with my foot elevated. Since my foot hurts and throbs when I disobey, I am for the most part content to comply.
With the lapidus bunionectomy behind me now, and plenty of down time to hear myself think, my mind has wandered a lot to how blessed I am. Occasionally I will feel a bit of self-pity start to take hold. Poor me, stuck in the bed, no walking or driving for ten weeks. Poor me, my foot hurts. Poor me. But I quickly come to my senses and beat those thoughts back with the reality of my circumstances. I am so blessed to have had the strength of will to choose to have my foot deformity corrected. I will be able to walk without pain, I will not be forced into an increasingly sedentary lifestyle as my health deteriorates. I will be able to walk without so much pain, and maybe even RUN a bit!
I am so blessed to have health insurance and the financial resources to pay my deductible and co-insurance, which were significant. I am blessed to have a room in my home I could convert into a comfortable rehab suite and home office, with everything I need at my fingertips. I have found that there were things I didn't realize I would need, and I am blessed to be able to simply procure anything I need to make my ten week adventure more comfortable. I am blessed.
How blessed I am that although my foot hurts and I am seriously inconvenienced, I am healthy and well. I passed my pre-surgery medical tests with flying colors. My blood is good, my arteries are good, my EKG was boringly normal. My surgery was textbook with no complications, and my expected outcome is excellent. It will be a long ten weeks, but I will walk again.
More than anything, though, I am blessed with the love and support of so many people that it is truly humbling. My heart has been touched by the kindness and generosity of my family, friends and co-workers. It's not an easy thing for a stubborn, self-sufficient and independent person like me to need to ask for help. But, I have no choice but to ask for help, and it is being generously given by so many selfless people. There is a lesson for me here, and I am gracefully willing to accept learning it.
This year, I'd like to encourage you all to take some time to reflect on your blessings, and express gratitude to your Heavenly Father for all that you have been given. No matter what trials or challenges you may have to deal with, I can guarantee that they would pale in comparison to a list of your blessings.
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