The only thing that is certain about my life is that I have peace, “a peace that surpasses all understanding.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

The Fall

I have had my health issues, some of which I brought on by my own doing, like when I broke my leg nine years ago. While I was coming down the stairs with a hand full of odds and ends, I noticed a sizable patch of cat puke on the wooden floor. Thinking that I had to clean up the vomit, I missed the last step and fell. Falling is never a graceful act, and the noise startled the housekeeper. Immediately a sharp pain went up my leg. I hobbled over to the couch and asked her to bring me a bag of ice.  But the pain was too intense; nothing was relieving the discomfort.

Mike To The Rescue

I called Mike, who helps me when I have traumas. I  cried like a baby while I explained what happened. He rushed home to help, then took me to Urgent Care. It was clear from the x-ray that my right leg was broken near the ankle. Leaving there, I wore the most unattractive black air cast and crutches. Then I made an appointment with an orthopedic specialist for the following morning.

The Orthopedic Appointment

The doctor told me that I could not drive for a month. I had to keep my foot elevated and to sleep in the ugly, bulky air cast. For the first week everything that spewed out of my mouth was a gasp, followed by a grunt and ending with a complaint. Once I got upstairs for the night, I stayed in my room. When morning came I stayed downstairs. This meant I could not attend daily Mass!

I had my son-in-law Russ bring one of the office chairs into the kitchen, so I could get around by rolling from one part of the kitchen to the other. I was on crutches and that was the worst part of the injury. Crutches were invented in a workshop in hell and I could never get over the discomfort of using them. On one of my follow-up visits I was told that the crutches were too high. No wonder my armpits screamed at every use, and I developed honest-to-goodness stomach muscles from the strain.

The Scooter

When I finally got the clearance to drive, I had to remove my boot in order to do so; this just added to the frustration due to getting ready for anything! By this time I had mastered patience. Even if I was in a rush, my pace was as slow as molasses. One day I had a great epiphany  that I should order a scooter for my rehabilitation. Amazon  to the rescue! Within a week an adorable blue scooter arrived just in time for a family outing.

We were all going to meet at Down Town Disney for a celebratory dinner for Russ. I had not broken in the scooter, but I was certain that it was going to be easy. Riding the scooter  around my family room it felt odd and uncomfortable.  I brushed it off without giving it another thought.

We arrived at the hotel the following day, and I was going to use the scooter. But Mike thought that we should take the complimentary shuttle instead, so we loaded up the scooter and headed out. Downtown Disney was where I broke in the scooter. We arrived at Fossil, the store that my daughter was managing at the time. I kept getting stuck in corners of the already cramped store, and was not getting the hang of the scooter.

The Death Trap

We left to go to dinner and suddenly it all came together.  The cool breeze from the movement of the scooter was making my hair softly flow back; I felt like a model for a shampoo commercial. I was filled with pride and confidence as people stared and watched me maneuver the new ride. Then it happened. Traveling a little too fast,  the scooter caught a slight lift on the sidewalk. From a distance I could hear Mike and Sonja yelling for me to slow down, but it was too late. I flipped over the handlebars of the killer scooter and landed flat on my face. 

The voices of  foreigners screaming and saying things in other languages, and people gasping with great concern caught my ears. It took a legion of angels to flip my body around. I held out one hand and said, “I’m ok, I’m ok.” From that point a terror gripped my heart and the sweet scooter became a death trap.

I wanted my crutches back, but I had left them at home. In all humility I slowly rolled into the restaurant. Dinner was most unpleasant because I knew that I had to ride that thing back to the hotel. When it was time to leave, I mounted the beast and a massive cramp seized my injured leg. The drama that ensued was my grandkids fighting to take turns on the scooter. Mike and Mikos wanted no part in this, so they abandoned me. Russ had to push me the rest of the way while Jenny and Sonja laughed most of the way back.

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 my next follow up-visit, the doctor was a completely insensitive jerk when asking me,”Who told you to get a scooter?” I did not order that for you!” Really? Now he’s asking that question! I wanted to remind him of the time that he made me wait four hours in his office to see him!  But I was not going to be rude like him. I did ask him for a handicap placard, and he agreed with only a one-month prescription. I loved that placard and was greatly disappointed when it expired.

The Recovery

It took three months to recover from this injury; each day brought me more freedom. This was a hidden spiritual journey, and I learned many things from this experience.  Patience really is a virtue, and it was a hard lesson for me. Healing broken bones takes time. Mike’s empathetic heart always takes over; so he stepped up to care for me. Having to depend on others to take me to doctor’s appointments and to run errands was humbling. I could no longer attend daily Mass. One time my son Mikos took me to church, a very special occasion for me.

I am more mindful of my age,  and I hold on to the rail while ascending and descending the stairs.

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.