Category Archives: Learning from our past

Into the Storm

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A few weeks ago, I was driving from southwest Michigan around the bottom of the lake, heading for Chicago. I appreciated the good traveling weather, sunny and dry, knowing that winter winds and moisture funneling down the lake (known as lake-effect blizzards) can take drivers by storm, pun intended.

Just ahead...As I whizzed along appreciating the 70 mph speed limit, an ominous sight came into view, a swath of stormy-looking clouds hovering directly over my route. On more than one occasion at that same point in the trip, I’ve driven from dry weather into a snowstorm that was akin to blasting through a white curtain into another world.

As I continued on, I thought of how we can often see other types of storms coming to our lives, too. We might know ahead of time we’re going to experience a rough struggle, but circumstances dictate we have to head into it anyway.

Major surgery is one of those.

Although doctors usually give minimal detail about the suffering a patient will encounter post-op, we begin finding out as soon as we’re in the recovery room. And it doesn’t always get better from there. In some cases (like Mary’s) the misery hangs around for quite some time.

In hindsight, though, Mary couldn’t very well have said no to this surgical storm. Now that she’s gone through it, her prognosis is a thousand times better than if she’d opted out. And just like a lake-effect blizzard, the turbulence she’s currently experiencing will end.

No life is free of stormy periods. Our son Lars used to live in San Diego, and when I asked when the weather would be best to visit he said, “Mom, it’s warm and sunny every day here.” I thought of our crazy Midwest weather with its variety of storms, and wondered if those Californians appreciate their sunshine as much as we do ours.

Operating roomAnd that’s the thing about storms like surgery and so many others. After spending some time “down and out,” it’s a thrill to get back to ordinary life. After bearing intense pain, it’s a blessing to have a feel-good day.

Mary and Bervin gratefully drove from Rochester back to Chicago yesterday to spend their first night at home in quite a while. And it was every bit as soothing as they’d hoped. Mary reported that today was nourishing in every way.

By the way, that day I drove into a crazy lake-effect storm, I had to grip the steering wheel tight, lean toward the windshield, and squint to keep from getting hypnotized by the wild snow. But once I came out the other side, I could sit back, loosen my grip, and drive calmly the rest of the way.

Into the stormMary, too, will come through her storm to face life with a new sense of tranquility and gladness. An ordinary “ride” will have become a supreme pleasure.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble… He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness.” (Psalm 107:28-30)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. Pray she’ll learn which foods work well and which don’t
  2. Pray for weight gain
  3. Praise for a good first day back home
  4. Praise for the encouraging cards/Scriptures in their waiting mail

Setbacks

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The last time my grandchildren were visiting me in Michigan, I found 5 year old Skylar rifling through my trunk of board games, looking for something to play. I hadn’t seen most of those tattered old boxes for quite some time, and they brought back memories of when our kids were young, though not always happy ones. I remember often saying yes to a game but only reluctantly: “Just one, OK?” (After all, some of them could last for hours!)

Chutes and Ladders boxOne of the games our little boys loved was Chutes and Ladders. With the spin of a dial, game pieces would move ahead one square at a time, starting at #1 and marching toward #100, where a Blue Ribbon was waiting.

The only trouble was, this was a game that might have no end. The directions read, “Ladders lead up only; chutes lead down only.” And if players landed on too many chutes, the game morphed into a marathon.

Chutes and Ladders boardReal life is full of chutes, too. We call them setbacks. It’s especially true if we’re already on a path to some kind of comeback. But no restoration process is without its backward slides, whether it’s a reconciling marriage, a rehabbing addict, a healing widow, or, as in Mary’s case, a recuperating patient.

 

For the past several days Mary has been harassed by sharp abdominal pains every time she moves. It seemed localized around her feeding tube, and after the experts unclogged that, they expected improvement. But the pains continued, and so an infection was suspected. Twenty-four hours of antibiotics didn’t help, so today she underwent a detailed scan of the area. Dr. Truty’s report was, “Everything looks good.” One possibility, he said, is bowel spasms, which should clear up on its own.

Mary had been “The Poster Child for Whipple Surgery,” both before and after. She amazed the doctor, the hospital staff, and all of us with her eager-beaver approach to regaining strength. Maybe that’s why hitting a setback isn’t just about pain in the abdomen but also about pain in her spirit. And when anyone experiences the double-whammy of physical and emotional pain together, discouragement can’t be far behind.

But Mary has maintained all along that her hope is in the Lord and his Word. As she says, it’s an anchor that always holds. No matter how dispiriting the circumstances, God’s promises remain true. They don’t get worn out, spoiled, or out-of-date, and neither does he. Her Father is partnered with her for the duration, and as she needs an increase in courage, stamina, and/or optimism, he will deliver. She’s counting on it.

UP to feeling betterThen, in due course, just like with Chutes and Ladders, she’ll find herself bypassing the chutes and landing on a ladder that will elevate her directly to feeling better. And we hope it’s very soon.

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the One I praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. For abdominal pains to cease
  2. For permission to return home by the weekend
  3. Praise for so much uninterrupted time with Bervin
  4. Praise for family and friends who faithfully pray without giving up

Thinking Alike

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???????????????????????????????Mary and I were born 20 months apart, close sisters but opposites in many ways. Maybe that’s why we’ve had a good partnership all these years, since people often gravitate toward those who have what they lack. Strangely enough, though, after thinking through a decision in opposite ways, Mary and I often land in the same place.

Twin cardsTake clothes, for example. Our kids laugh at how often we turn up at family gatherings wearing near-identical outfits without any prior planning. Gift exchanges are often more like matching swaps, and this Valentine’s Day we sent each other identical sister-cards purchased in different stores at different times.

Maybe this kind of think-alike is true of most sister-combos. After all, we were raised in the same home by the same parents who used the same tactics on both of us. But maybe sisters think alike because their attachment over years of time has allowed them to become more alike, by watching each other and learning.

Scripture tells us we ought to hang out with people we admire and hope to emulate. Maybe sisters learn what to do and what not to do just by growing up together.  The same can be true in long marriages, which is why couples who’ve been together 20 years or more have learned to dismiss the bad and imitate the good.

Spiritually speaking, all Christians are encouraged to become more like Christ. He’s our sibling-example, the one we should follow around and try to copy. Ephesians 4:15 advises us to do this, suggesting that each day we ought to be making small-but-steady progress.

None of us will have become enough like Christ to be ready for that momentous meeting face-to-face. It’s only through his gift of salvation that we’ll have that privilege at all. I have a hunch, though, that he’s going to commend the efforts we made (no matter how paltry) to think and act like him.

The Lennon SistersMary and I enjoy thinking alike, but there’s one project we can’t undertake as sisters: singing duets. We like listening to the unique blend of synchronized sister-voices, but Mary’s and my only hope for that would be in the next world. Maybe Jesus will give us the ability to sing like other sister-groups, like the Andrews Sisters and the Lennon Sisters. We could be the Johnson sisters! Sounds like sweet harmony to me.

“Walk with the wise and become wise.” (Proverbs 13:20)

Mary’s prayer requests:

  1. Praise for Bervin’s patience. As Mary says, “It’s hard being cooped up in a hotel room this long when you’re healthy.”
  2. Praise for the live streaming of the Moody Church service this morning (Mary and Bervin’s home church), which was uplifting
  3. Pray about the sharp abdominal pains Mary has had throughout the weekend in her feeding tube area, that tomorrow’s hospital appointment with the “tube expert” will resolve the problem.
  4. Please continue to pray for weight gain.