Tomorrow is my “5th birthday!” Five years ago today, Belinda and I were prepping mentally, physically, and spiritually for my brain surgery. We felt like ants being flushed in a toilet, a truly helpless feeling. In sharp contrast today, I’m helping Belinda at home after she had a successful hysterectomy last Tuesday. She came home one day earlier than expected, and she’s well on her way to recovery, too. We are truly blessed; we both bounce back from major surgeries fairly easily.
We also didn’t die from our surgeries. Others are not as fortunate. They might have cancer. Or, they died suddenly from a heart attack. Or perhaps their spouses have cancer, or someone in their family died from a heart attack. Belinda and I continue to realize how lucky/blessed we are. Life is great and we know it, and we are not taking any of it for granted.
Having the brain surgery changed me in many small ways, and in....
one BIG way. I’ve noticed I am less afraid to speak publicly, not a real problem for me before the surgery, but the difference now is, “I’ve survived brain surgery, so I can do this.”
This boost in confidence has helped me with my educational consulting when I stand up and present in front of large groups of teachers. For my Time to Teach presentations, I even share my brain surgery experience, telling my audience that my survival is the reason I stand before them at that moment. I dedicated my life and my service to the Aztec School District and all of my students before the surgery, but my new passion is helping teachers.
This past year, I’ve been blessed to see many wonderful things, including our son, James, graduate from college. Now, he’s off to New Zealand to start his career in marketing, an extremely successful launching. His girlfriend, Nicola, is helping in so many ways, including finding a new place for him to live.
Our daughter, Danielle, returns from Cambodia this Wednesday after participating in a UBELONG program for volunteer work for one month. She helped out at an orphanage with children who have severe disabilities, like Cerebral Palsy. So proud of our children, and so glad I’m here to see it all.
Belinda and I have successfully launched into “rewirement” as well. She worked part time at Florida Mesa Elementary as the computer lab/research teacher. She not only worked just two days a week, but she earned a salary equal to her expertise, learned some new skills along the way, and she stayed out a full year in New Mexico, thereby reaching one of her personal goals. She did all of this while navigating her first year with MS, the diagnosis coming just two days after our schools’ retirement parties. She is the toughest person I know.
Many other fabulous things happened this past year, too many to mention here, but here’s a sampling. I caught up with many former basketball teammates at Coach Hofman’s court dedication evening, participated in a Marian Consecration program at my church, and continued to play golf and coach golf as The First Tee golf coach here in Aztec. I was also able to speak at my Uncle Ray’s funeral, and it was an honor to do so.
If there’s one prayer that continues to stick in my head from those days just before and after my surgery, it’s this simple one with just four words. I highly recommend it.
No, that’s not the prayer; I’m just recommending its daily use. This is the prayer, “Thy will be done.”
We have this illusion of control, and we want to wish for the things we want, but that’s just not how it works, in my humble opinion. It’s okay to wish for things, of course, but I know who’s really in charge. I prefer to let Him drive, and I continue to go along for the ride and enjoy the view and be thankful. No “ants being flushed in the toilet” feeling for me anymore.
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