Dear Reader:

You are all my most wonderful ‘love-keepers’ …because I have received so much love from you that it must have been hard for my surgeon to operate while I beamed brightly from all the love sent my way! No operating lights needed.

I have discovered that when we really do turn our troubles over to the Lord…we feel so lightened from the burdens of worry (we have weighted ourselves down with) that we feel like we can literally fly like the angels. (In fact that is maybe how an angel comes to be….turning over all the cares of the world to its Creator.)

Everything went as smooth as silk….insurance/paperwork complete in less than ten minutes….prepped for surgery in half an hour, introductions from everyone who will be in the operating room and at 8:00 on the dot Dr. Litton walked in and said, “Let’s roll” and we did . It is the last thing I remember.

Oops!.…except for one very important thing…a special God Wink reassuring me He was there. Earlier, after I had on the medical gown and was talking to the nurse she, unfortunately, happened to glance down at my wrist and point to my cross bracelet. Gently she reminded me to take it off too.

I really wanted to keep it on, like I had been allowed to a couple of weeks ago at the cataract surgery. Mandy came and gently took it off for me…knowing I was disappointed.

I was feeling a little hazy by the time Dr. Litton came in and not very observant,  but Jackson told me later that when he came to talk to her and Mandy (following the surgery) the first thing she noticed was that he was wearing a cross on a chain around his neck. God did get a cross in the operating room.

A couple of days ago I responded to Mev in a Facebook response concerning this unexpected medical surgery amounting to a “drop back and punt” football situation. She responded by saying:  “No, it’s a chance to make a touchdown.” (Love it!)

The nurse told me that the operating room was scheduled for one hour from 8 until 9….but at 8:40 Mandy and Jackson were called back to talk to Dr. Litton. He said he removed tissue, made side and deep incisions to get the most accurate margin readings. Now we have to wait until the pathology report returns to see where we are. This will take about a week.

The most difficult part yesterday was getting there… in early morning torrential rains. Jackson and I were both glad Mandy drove and I have no doubt that she had white knuckles but once we arrived we were treated like royalty. There was an abundance of kindness, caring, and hope for good health.

*A personal shout-out to  the  whole fantastic staff at the Trident Arts Surgery Center! You made me feel cared about and protected.

The stitches are internal and will dissolve naturally and my outer skin incision was closed with “glue”….whatever it is….it is good stuff. Jackson says” I have been a bad patient because I won’t sit down and stay down. She is right….but I am just so happy that this sudden surgery is over and I am home again.”

*The Ya’s will be at the beach next week and I can’t think of a better respite/sanctuary after all the craziness of this past week than being with some crazy old friends.

When I came across this little short (Erma Bombeck) story from Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul...I realized it just fit the theme of today’s blog and thoughts. Enjoy….quite memorable. (I am just summarizing)

When Mike was three, he wanted a sandbox but his dad complained that “There goes the yard….we’ll have kids over here constantly, and they will throw sand into the flower bed and it will kill the grass for sure.”

Mike’s mother said, “It’ll come back.”

When Mike was five, he wanted a jungle-gym set with swings and his dad said: “Good grief, those contraptions look like mud holes in a pasture. Kids digging their gym shoes in the ground. It’ll kill the grass.”

Mike’s mother patiently said, “It’ll come back.”

As Mike’s dad blew up the plastic swimming pool, he warned his wife: ” I hope you know what you are doing. The kids will track water everywhere, have a million water fights….and when we take it down there will only be ugly brown grass under it for all the neighbors to see.”

Lovingly, Mike’s mother said, “It’ll come back.“

When Mike was twelve he volunteered his yard for a charity camp-out. As his dad watched them hoisting the tents and driving spikes into the grass, he complained: “Why don’t I just put grass seed out in cereal bowls for the birds and save myself the trouble of spreading it around.”

Looking at his wife he said: “Don’t bother to answer. I know what you’re going to say: “It’ll come back.”

Years passed with a basketball hoop going up on the side of the garage and tons of middle and later high schoolers gathering each afternoon in the side yard, some forgetting to take off their cleats from earlier football practices.

Mike’s dad threw up in arms in frustration and resignation saying: “I never asked for much in this life-only a patch of grass.”

His wife squeezed his hand and said, “It’ll come back.”

…”The lawn this fall was beautiful. it was green and alive and rolled out like a sponge carpet along the drive where gym shoes had trod, along the garage where bicycles used to fall, and around the flower bed where little boys used to dig with iced-tea-spoons.”

But Mike’s father didn’t even notice. He anxiously looked beyond the yard and asked with a catch in his voice, “He will come back, won’t he?”

…………………………..

So until tomorrow….Thank you dear readers for coming back day after day to make my day.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Rutledge…I got your “Brave” message again and I want to tell you that from now on….my name should be “Boo Boo Braveheart.” (Now where is some blue paint?)

Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter Mandy, a wonderful wife, mother, and most importantly special friend to me. What a special day!