My “go to” form of
exercise is a three-mile walk. It helps
me to unwind. It also gives me time to
listen to some of my favorite podcasts – one of them being Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist
History. One evening in late May,
set out for a walk at Loose Park. On
this particular evening, I walked from our home to the park and made my first
loop. As I was starting my second loop,
I felt a snap in my right knee. It
literally stopped me in my tracks. I
could no longer stride with my right leg.
Rather, the best that I could do was toe-tap walk. Margaret was in Wichita at the time and was a
few hours from being home. I could call
her to come and pick me up but that meant sitting at the park for longer than I
cared to. A little panicked and not
thinking clearly, I toe-tapped it all the way home which is about a quarter
mile at most. Luckily, I know a certain
orthopedic surgeon so I called him. He
advised that I make an appointment at the urgent care at his facility. I did and after a visit and an MRI, they told
me that I had torn my right meniscus at the root. A few months later, I had surgery on it, did
some physical therapy, and had injections as well. It is much better now than what it was on
that fateful day in late May.
I am lucky. Yes that I know an orthopedic surgeon but
more to the point, I have health insurance.
I could make appointments, get tests, have surgery, go to follow up
appointments, and more without considering what I would have to give up because
of my medical needs. In addition, my out
of pocket expense was more than manageable.
Thankfully, I am not dependent on Doctors Without Borders or the folks
that spend a week operating on Mercy Ships.
I am grateful that I am not a resident of a country that does not have
quality health care or that relies upon the compassion and generosity of
volunteer organizations and individuals.
I am fortunate that I have access to quality health care and the
insurance to help cover the expense.
There is a hymn titled
“Count Your Blessings.” The chorus says
“count your blessings, name them one by one.
County your many blessings, see what God hath done.” Easier said than done. Unfortunately, we are inundated with negative
news and information. Our media, in all
its forms, focuses on what troubles or divides us, or what tantalizes our need
for the salacious. They play to our
lesser nature not for our good but for their ratings. They fill segments with things that attract
eyeballs like a multi-car pile-up on the highway. I think the side effect of this is a soul
that is anxious and burdened by worry.
Additionally, this suppresses our ability to see our blessings and be thankful.
Thanksgiving is naturally
a season to pause and intentionally reflect upon all the blessings in our
lives. As families and friends, we
gather around the table and stuff ourselves like a . . . turkey. We over indulge on food, sweets, naps, and
football. Nevertheless, we may also take
time to be profoundly thankful. If only
we could do this more often during the year than one late November
Thursday.
I invite you to take time
and read each of the scriptures above as you move to reflect on the questions
below. Consider your practice of
counting your blessings and being thankful.
Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s Word and the
meditations of your heart.