My brother, Chip was 9 and I was 11 the summer my mom went
to work at the local bank. In those days we were plenty old enough to watch
ourselves without a sitter. Mom would check in by phone every couple of hours.
One day, I heard a
yelp followed by the kitchen screen door banging shut and Chip running up the
stairs with blood squirting from his forearm. I ran him into the bathroom and
had him hold it under cold running water while I called Mom, who said she’d be
home right away. Meanwhile, good Girl Scout that I was, I applied a death grip
tourniquet above the wound. Do not try this at home! It’s a miracle he didn’t
lose his arm.
Chip had been feeding his squirrel friends when one lunged
and bit him. Needless to say, It did not bode well for the poor neighborhood
squirrels that summer. They were trapped and tested for rabies.
I remember walking Chip up to the doctor’s office every day
for several days for his painful rabies shot in the stomach. He was so brave.
The alternative would have been to wait and see if he got rabies, but then he
might possibly die. The choice was clear.
So…here I am making a wise and clear choice to surrender
with all hope that I will be healed in the hands of a surgeon whom God has
gifted with skill, wisdom, and compassion. God has promised to heal me this
way. I have to trust in His promise. The hospital sent me a list of things I
should pack for my stay - books, ipad, pajamas, shoes, phone cords, music. It
kind of feels like I'm going to camp!
See you on the other side of hip
replacement surgery!
