What's Inside Counts

   When you have been married 56 years, love has grown to the point that the mushy romantic stuff isn't important anymore. Love is expressed in little ways every day. It's in things like taking out the garbage without being asked and doing dishes or gardening together. Since my hip surgery love is shown in helping me get around, fetching things, and many other little ways. We find ourselves thinking more alike. Leroy will say something that is just what I was thinking about. It has been years since we had a serious disagreement. 

   When we were dating I anticipated the birthday and Christmas gifts I would receive, wondering what he might bring. Since our birthdays are both in the week before Christmas, we long ago reduced the gifts to one thing which serves for both birthday and Christmas.  And now we go out to eat (often on a gift certificate) and celebrate both our birthdays together. We still give each other something but getting a wrapped gift isn't necessary. This year we really hit the bottom of the romantic part of gift giving.

    When Leroy asked what I want I told him I wanted a book on church history that was published this year. We stopped at the bookstore yesterday and I went in with him to show him the book. Then I gave him some money and said, "I'm going out to the car so I can't see what you are getting." Sure enough! He came out with the exact book I wanted and handed it to me. No wrapping needed. I ordered his gift online and managed to whisk it away when it came. He will get it on his birthday next week, in the box it was in when it was shipped. It's what's inside that counts.

   

Price of Procrastination

    Our holidays are different this year. After years of suffering with an aching leg, I finally broke down and admitted I need a hip replacement. It could have been done in October but there were some things on the calendar I wanted to do in November. So I pushed the surgery off until November 21.

   The day came and I went into the OR at 7:30 in the morning. The next thing I knew it was 8:30 and I was in the recovery room. Everything went well and about 1 p.m. I was out of bed walking down the hall. The next day I was discharged and went home.

   Our daughter, Cheryl, came from Ohio to stay for a week and be my caregiver. Thanksgiving came during that week. Cheryl brought a smoked turkey with her and invited all of her brothers who had no other plans to come for dinner. As far as anyone knows, she has not been here for Thanksgiving since she was married more than thirty years ago. We set the table with my china dishes to add to the special occasion. There was eleven of us at the table.

       The aching pain in my leg that had plagued me for so long was gone but there was a different sort of pain from surgery. One surprising benefit was how much straighter I am able to stand since I have a solid post in that leg. I thought my scoliosis was getting worse but the reason I was bent over so far was from a crumbled framework. 

    I am going for therapy three times per week and my mobility is slowly increasing, but building up the strength in that weak leg will take time. Our children took charge of Christmas and said I am excused from cooking this year. We are also having it in a school where there are no stairs instead of our basement. I hope to be back to normal in January.

    My grandma needed a knee replacement. She would say, "If I could only get a new knee," but that was just wishful thinking in her lifetime. I am thankful replacements are possible today and wish I had not procrastinated so many years. A longer recovery is the price I must pay for procrastination.