Dear Friends,
My recent experience of having total hip replacement gave me some insights about myself. As with many other folks, I really don’t like to be dependent on others, and while I consider myself to be a patient person, I was not patient with my inability to do some very basic tasks. I tried to keep the frustration I felt under control but did not always succeed. There were times when I really did not like myself very much. I have had to come to terms with the reality that I am a human being with all the baggage that humanness brings.
Fortunately, I was surrounded by patient and caring people who ignored my fuming and kept me comfortable through those first few weeks. Neil was there in the middle of the night when I needed help getting to the bathroom and there throughout each day with uncomplaining constancy. My daughter, Cathleen, moved in and kept me honest. She stood over the shoulder of the Physical Therapist reminding me to breathe and to take enough medication to be comfortable. My sister, Lyn and brother-in-law Gary, flew in from Arizona to take over. Lyn nursed me while Gary nursed Neil. Meanwhile, calls were coming in regularly from my daughter Susan and other family members and my granddaughter, Cleo, came to visit with her parents all the way from Barre.
What can I say about my larger family, the church community? Meals were delivered almost daily so that neither Neil nor my family needed worry about suppers. They were fantastic. If I had any thought of losing weight during my recuperation, that notion was quickly dispelled. And the cards and notes and calls that came every day lightened up my moments of frustration. I have saved every one of those cards in gratitude for the gift of love.
Despite my whining, what I went through is absolutely inconsequential when held up to the reality of what so many others experience every day. That is why I am delighted that we have begun to develop a strong caring committee. We are committing ourselves as a church family to ensuring that whether they be short or long term needs, no one is left without care and support. If you are in need, and we are not aware of it, please call the church office. You will be visited. If you would like to be a visitor, in person or through phone contact, let us know.
This is God’s family. We all deserve to be loved and cared for. We are all called to love and care. May it be so.
Adrianne