Winter Musings

There is nothing more inviting than fresh snow on a cold winter's day. Something about snow brings out the kid in everyone and brings back memories of childhood and youth: playing in the snow, building a snowman, rushing downhill on a sled (or a saucer or inner tube).

I remember when I was a teenager, probably 17 or 18 years old. I took my best friend, my brother and one of his friends up into the mountains of Southern California for a sledding expedition. My car was an old Renault, which had the trunk in the front and the engine in the back. Unfortunately, one of the sleds was too long to fit in the trunk and, because the trunk was in the front, we couldn't leave it propped open. So, we forced the sled into the middle of the car between the passengers in the front and back seats. It was a bit cozy, but it worked. The other sled and the saucer fit into the trunk quite nicely.

Once we arrived at our destination--Wrightwood, California--we found a place to park and then ventured into the woods to find a great place to go sledding. We found an old creek bed that wound down the side of the hill, and it was filled with enough snow to make sledding absolutely perfect--almost. The problem was that near the bottom of the hill, the creek bed made a slight curve around a tree before continuing its descent. The trick was to negotiate the curve and miss the tree.

We spent a couple of hours sledding and had a wonderful time, until my last run. I was in the saucer, which is difficult to control and tends to spin in a circle while traveling downhill. I missed the curve and slammed into the tree backward. We decided to call it a day and carried all of our sledding equipment back to the car.

Enjoying a white Christmas this year was a highlight of the holiday season. It isn't often that we have a truly white Christmas--this year was the exception with nearly seven inches of beautiful, white powder.

The snow makes everything appear clean, fresh and pure. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting in front of a cozy fire, wrapped in a blanket, reading a book, and watching the snowflakes drop from heaven on a beautiful winter day. There is nothing more invigorating than bundling up in warm clothes and stepping into the cold with a snow shovel in hand and cleaning off the driveway and sidewalk.

Snow...I LOVE it!

Tubes and Wires and Needles, Oh My!

Tubes that deliver life-giving oxygen. Needles that supply nutrients and antibiotics. Wires that provide access to immediate care. All of these are necessary to the recovery process following surgery, and all of these can become very overwhelming. This is my recent experience following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty, a fancy term for a partial knee replacement.

For the first 24 hours, my blood pressure was checked every 15 minutes--no sleep for me! I also had a negative reaction to the antibiotics that were used, resulting in hives and a severe rash. Unfortunately, they couldn't administer Benadryl to counteract the reaction because my blood pressure was too low.

Day two in the hospital was much better: my blood pressure returned to normal range and I was able to eat sitting up. I was also able to get up out of bed with assistance to take the few steps to the restroom. I attended a physical therapy group class with others who had been through knee or hip replacement surgery. It was a fun group with a lot of laughter, inspite of the pain that everyone had endured. Everyone's goal was to earn three stars--one (1) star indicated that you had to have staff assistance to get out of bed, two (2) stars meant that your spouse or other family member or friend could help you get up, and three (3) stars meant that you were able to maneuver on your own, within limits.

On day three, I had earned my three stars and was looking forward to going home. That was only the beginning. Once arriving at home, it became very apparent that normal functions took ten times longer than normal, such as showering, dressing and walking from the bed to the bathroom. It also meant that physical therapy (or physical "torture" as I like to refer to it) would begin. (My favorite part is the ice pack applied to the knee after the physical torture session is completed.)

As I reflected on the last few days, I realized that my relationship with God is very much like tubes and wires and needles. He provides me with oxygen, life-sustaining nutrients and immediate access to Him through one simple package: The Bible. All I have to do is accept what He has provided and I have eternal life. I might even have a few stars for my crown. Each day is a step forward, gaining strength in my knowledge of Jesus Christ as Saviour. While it can be a slow process, I can enjoy each step of the way, knowing that I have eternity to look forward to.

Tubes, wires and needles = life support. God = life support. Can there be any doubt?