The one certainty in life is peace — “a peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

The Fall

Health issues have been part of life’s journey — some self-inflicted, like the broken leg from nine years ago. Coming down the stairs with both hands full of odds and ends, a sizable patch of cat vomit caught my attention on the wooden floor. Focused on the mess that needed cleaning, the last step went unnoticed — and down came the fall. It was anything but graceful, and the loud thud startled the housekeeper. A sharp pain shot up the leg immediately. After hobbling over to the couch, she was asked to bring a bag of ice. But the pain was relentless — nothing brought relief.

Mike to the Rescue

Mike — the one who shows up when life falls apart — was called immediately. Tears came freely while explaining what had happened. He rushed home, then drove straight to Urgent Care. The x-ray confirmed it: the right leg was broken near the ankle. Walking out meant wearing the most unattractive black air cast known to mankind, hobbling along on crutches. An appointment with an orthopedic specialist was made for the following morning.

The Orthopedic Appointment

The doctor’s orders were clear: no driving for one month, foot elevated at all times, and sleeping in that ugly, bulky air cast. For the first week, every sound that escaped was a gasp, followed by a grunt, and ending in a complaint. Once upstairs for the night, the room became the world. Come morning, downstairs was the world. The worst casualty of all? Daily Mass — gone.

The son-in-law Russ was recruited to wheel an office chair into the kitchen, which became the chariot of necessity — rolling from counter to stove to sink and back again. But the crutches were the true misery of the whole ordeal. Crutches were clearly invented in a workshop in hell. The armpits screamed at every use, and what developed instead of comfort was a set of honest-to-goodness stomach muscles from the strain. It took a follow-up visit to discover the crutches had been set too high all along. No wonder.

The Scooter

Clearance to drive finally came — but with a catch: the boot had to come off first, which only added a fresh layer of frustration to the already exhausting ritual of getting ready for anything. By this point, patience had been mastered out of pure necessity. Even in a hurry, the pace was slow as molasses — and there was no getting around it.

Then came the epiphany: a scooter. Amazon to the rescue. Within a week, an adorable little blue scooter arrived — and just in time. The family was gathering at Downtown Disney for a celebratory dinner in honor of Russ.

The scooter had never been broken in. A quick test lap around the family room felt odd and uncomfortable, but it was brushed off without a second thought. How hard could it be?

The answer came the following day at the hotel. Mike suggested taking the complimentary shuttle instead of riding over, so the scooter was loaded up and the group headed out. Downtown Disney became the proving ground. The first stop was Fossil — the store the daughter was managing at the time — and the scooter immediately declared war on the cramped layout. Corner after corner, stuck. The hang of it was nowhere in sight.

The Death Trap

Leaving for dinner, everything suddenly clicked. The cool breeze from the scooter’s movement sent hair flowing back softly — a full shampoo commercial moment. Pride and confidence swelled as onlookers stopped to watch the masterful handling of the new ride.

Then it happened.

Moving just a little too fast, the scooter caught a slight lift in the sidewalk. Mike and Sonja’s voices carried from a distance — slow down — but it was too late. Over the handlebars and straight down, face-first onto the pavement.

A chorus of voices erupted — foreigners calling out in languages beyond recognition, bystanders gasping — and it took what felt like a legion of angels to get the body flipped back over. One hand raised. “I’m ok, I’m ok.” But from that moment, something shifted. Terror took hold of the heart, and the sweet little scooter became a death trap.

The crutches — left at home. With whatever dignity remained, the scooter was rolled slowly into the restaurant. Dinner was thoroughly unpleasant, shadowed the entire time by the unavoidable truth: that thing had to be ridden back to the hotel.

When the time came, the beast was mounted — and immediately, a massive cramp seized the injured leg. What followed was pure theater. The grandkids broke into open competition for turns on the scooter. Mike and Mikos wanted absolutely no part of any of it and promptly disappeared. Russ stepped in and pushed the rest of the way back while Jenny and Sonja laughed nearly the entire route home.

James 1:2-4
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

The Doctor’s Visit

At the next follow-up, the doctor revealed himself to be completely insensitive — leading with, “Who told you to get a scooter? I didn’t order that for you!”

Really? That question. The man who had once demanded a four-hour wait before granting an audience was now indignant about a scooter. Rudeness, however, was not going to be answered with rudeness. A handicap placard was requested, and he agreed — though only a one-month prescription. That little placard was loved dearly, and its expiration was genuinely mourned.

The Recovery

Three months. That’s what it took — and each day quietly returned a little more freedom. What began as a physical ordeal slowly became a hidden spiritual journey, and the lessons were not small ones.

Patience is a virtue. That truth moved from a familiar phrase to a lived reality, and it was not an easy lesson. Broken bones heal on their own schedule — no one else’s. Mike’s empathetic heart, as it always does, simply took over. He stepped up without being asked. Having to rely on others for doctor’s appointments, errands, the ordinary movements of daily life — that kind of dependence is humbling in a way that little else is.

And then there was daily Mass — gone. That absence was its own quiet ache. One afternoon, my son Mikos offered to take me to church. It became something more than a trip to Mass. It became a gift.

Now the stairs are different. The rail gets held — every time, going up and coming down. Age has a way of teaching what pride won’t.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, watch over us in our golden years. Amen

God gave me a special gift of praying for others.

On Saturday I texted my friend Maria to solicit some aid for another friend, Gina,  who is going to Arizona to do ministry work. Maria quickly responded with a positive reply, but ended the text by informing me that a mutual friend of ours needed prayer. I will call him John. John has cancer, an aggressive type of this dreaded disease.

John

In my heart, John is a member of my family; hearing this news brought me to tears. I met John when I started attending daily Mass. He was the sacristan for the 6:30 a.m. service. I knew that he also had the gift of interceding for others. A few years ago, my heart was aching for a family member and I needed prayer to keep from succumbing to defeat in order to focus on the miracles of God.

Spiritual Brother

When I approached John I was in tears, pleading my petition for his care. In that instance, he became my spiritual brother. He would pray for me and I would pray for his wife who was at that time going through cancer treatment. I prayed for her on a daily basis. John would update me on her condition and if the report was negative, I’d go deeper into prayer. Then COVID hit.

COVID

COVID did us all a great disservice.  When our church closed its doors we were left without the Eucharist. This unhealthy mandate from our governor caused me great grief.  I not only lost the freedom to attend daily Mass, I lost contact with all the early 6:30 a.m. Mass attendees, which included John. As I mentioned,  John’s wife was going through cancer treatments; when COVID came because of her compromised health condition they stayed home.

The Word of God states that we are one body; therefore when someone is hurting, we feel their pain. A perfect example is  if I wake up with a sore back, the rest of my body will be affected. My mind, my mood, my thinking will all join in this pain. But if I concentrate on prayer, it will definitely change the circumstances. The pain may still be there, but my mind is redirected. We cannot allow self-pity to take over because this will cause you to become self-absorbed.  I know my friend John is trusting God through this horrific trial.

My Health Trials

In  no way could I ever compare my small trial to what my friend John is going through.  What I will convey is that all of our body parts are like the Church of Christ. If John reads this I want to bring humor to his weary heart.

I love to walk, but I don’t particularly  like walking alone. I need a partner when I hit the pavement, so sometimes my husband Mike joins me on a walk. It is inevitable that as we age our bodies will change. The first indication of my deteriorating body started with the toe on my right foot.

This health issue reared its ugly head several years ago. So when I finally made an appointment with a podiatrist I was diagnosed with hammer toe. Hammer toe is a sneaky disorder, manifesting itself with unusual symptoms; but when it takes hold, it controls how you  walk. As the worn-out toe compensates for dexterity, it curls up and causes imbalance. Many times I’d trip and sometimes I’d fall. I knew I had to correct this health issue, but I waited until I returned from a pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage

In 2015 our missionary group planned a trip. This was a special trip, and I was committed because I had already paid for it.  I did not have time to plan a surgery and allow for six weeks of recovery. We were on a pilgrimage to visit holy sites where our Blessed Mother had appeared. First we went to France and then on to Spain. You can read about this journey in the Blog titled: The Marian Journey. I never mentioned my toe because so many more important things were taking place, like my wallet being stolen on the second day of the 14- day pilgrimage.

As much as I enjoyed the trip, my toe reminded me daily of how vulnerable I was. Every night I prayed, anointed my foot with holy oil, and doused it with holy water from Lourdes, but nothing was helping. To make matters worse, instead of going to a shoe store that specializes in comfortable footwear, I did the unthinkable. I purchased the most beautiful, fashionable, blue suede loafers. Those stupid shoes started to hurt me from the moment I put them on.

The French Pharmacist 

With the little time in between our visits, I ran into a pharmacy. Using my hands and pointing to my feet I desperately attempted to explain my toe dilemma. “Ahh, yes, I show you,” said the petite pharmacist. The quick cure was a corn cover and the relief lasted maybe five minutes. So the moral of this story is that my entire body was overwhelmed  by this pain.

We truly are one body. We need each other when we are going through trials because sometimes we are too weak, too tired or have simply given up because of our situation. This is when the rest of the body of Christ comes to petition and to intercede which allows us to rest.  Those who you trust will carry the prayer to the throne of God. I will be doing that for John.

Mike and I have always worked together and, because we owned our business, part of my perks were the special hours I set for myself. I was in charge of Human Resources, so hiring, employee reviews, meeting with Workers’ Compensation insurance agents, etc. were part of my job responsibilities. Some days I was busier than others and because I worked part-time I needed to complete the task in a timely manner. It was Sonja’s eighteenth birthday in 1994, so Mike and I wanted to do something special for her.

The  Mistake

Mike and I were both at work when he announced that he was going to the jewelry mart in Los Angeles to pick out a gift for Sonja. I mentioned to Mike that I wanted to go with him, but my schedule would not permit it. I also believe that Mike did not want me at the jeweler’s for fear that I might see something that I had to have. He went without me, purchased a gift, then called me to tell me that he was going to meet Sonja for lunch. I was confused because we had agreed that whatever he purchased for our daughter would be presented by both of us.

From Los Angeles he drove to Orange County to meet with Sonja. I am not sure what exactly happened but they got into an argument, so Mike did not give her the gift.

When Mike returned he told me about the dispute, then went to his office. I followed him and told him, “That’s what you get for not including me!” Then I asked him to show me what he had purchased for Sonja. It was the most beautiful heart pendant. I was so upset that I told him that he needed to return the gift. He asked, “Why? What’s wrong with it?” I replied, “Do you see what I’m wearing?”  I was wearing a beautiful, solitaire diamond pendant but this heart pendant that he had purchased for Sonja was made with several baguette diamonds.  Mike and I got into a disagreement about his hasty choice. “What kind of message are you sending our daughter? We need to fix this!” I felt really bad when I overheard his telephone conversation with the jeweler, “You made it too big, and now my wife is really upset!”

There is a principle and an order in a family; the mother comes before the daughter because she’s the queen and the daughter is the princess. In real life and in fairy tales the queen’s tiara is always more beautiful than that of the princess.  If we as parents  do not honor the role of the matriarch and patriarch, then the children will not understand their proper roles. Purchasing this pendant for Sonja might indicate that she was more important than me. Any therapist would agree with me that to give this message to your daughter is a form of spoiling your child. In no sense of the word was I jealous,; I was indignant and I needed to prove my point.  Mike was innocent in this situation; he never intended to hurt me or to put our daughter before me. He was simply being the loving father that he has always been. The same goes for a mother-son-relationship; the husband should always be allowed to provide and protect while the mother nurtures.

The next day Mike and I returned to the jewelry mart and  Mike  told me to go ahead and pick out some diamond earrings. “Who said I wanted earrings?” I asked. Mike looked puzzled when he asked me, ” Well, what do you want?” I replied, “I want a diamond heart pendant.” The heart pendant that I chose was different from Sonja’s; mine is a more traditional classic design.

Sonja got to keep her heart pendant, but lost it in the waters of the French Riviera when she was studying abroad. I still have mine. On Sonja’s twenty-first birthday we had the jeweler make her a duplicate heart pendant like the one she lost. Now she has a greater appreciation for the special heart pendant and wears it often.

Passing The Jewelry Torch

When Sonja graduated from college, Mike and I purchased what would be her last piece of jewelry from us. I declared that from this point on in her life, it would be the responsibility of her future husband to gift her with jewelry.

Every Christmas Russ takes Lucas and Jacob shopping for Sonja; the boys love to buy their mother jewelry.

Today

When It comes to jewelry I am a minimalist, the older I get the less I desire worldly things like jewelry or high-end handbags. I would never purchase anything out of my budget because it’s ostentatious. I do love shoes, but I would never pay full price for footwear.  Besides when you reach the pearly gates all these shiny, fancy things will have no use.

The Heart Represents Love

Love is the answer to many of our worldly problems. Loving God and putting Him first in our lives will direct our path to peace. The love the Lord has for us can only be described as that He loved us so much that He gave His life for us. There is no greater love than that!

My Prayer

Dear Lord, pour Your love over all those who are lonely, despondent or feel unloved. Lord, heal the broken hearted, especially all those people who have lost so many loved ones with the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Lord, restore their faith and replenish their hope in You. Amen.