Good morning…
Look at that smile!
When my father texted this photo of my mom back home at their senior living community, her pure joy made me smile. What a contrast from the image seared on my mind from eleven days before. My mom was hooked up to a ventilator, heavily sedated, laying unresponsive in the ICU. Now, real clothes instead of a humbling hospital gown. Now, a beaming smile instead of a mouthful of tubes. Now, sparkling eyes instead of eyelids shut tight. Now, happy hope rather than heavy uncertainty.
For me, this priceless picture says more than a zillion words.
Tuesday evening, mom joined our family Zoom call, alert and actively engaged. Yesterday, I talked with her again by phone and her progress is absolutely astounding. With my sister visiting for the day while my father volunteered at Habitat, mom got herself into the wheelchair. My sister wheeled her outside for a bit and took her downstairs for lunch at the Bistro, where she spoke with several of her many friends. They enjoyed a conversation with a 94 year old woman who has had two broken femurs and a broken shoulder. The woman was walking on her own and sharp as a tack.
“I only broke one femur bone,” my mom explained (a result of her fall on March 4th, the injury that required surgery and initially landed her in the care center). “I’ll be able to heal and get back to the things I love.”
Family. Friends. Food. Fresh air. At home with happy hope.
But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own (2 Corinthians 4:7, TLB).
I thank you again for the precious treasure of your potent prayers.
…Sue…
