Until I met a woman who had no feet...

The progress of healing my finger has seemed so slow.  I am at exactly 5 weeks post surgery and am frustrated daily at the things I cannot do.  Besides the usual daily activities of dressing and grooming myself, I am astonished at the trivial things I have difficulty with. 

Now that the big cast is off and I am down to a finger splint, I find my lack of strength downright alarming. 

I can't ....

turn the ignition of my car

open a water bottle

turn my electric toothbrush on

push the mechanism to open a file drawer

hold up the right side of a casserole

hook more than a few loops at a time....

Before you think I am feeling sorry for myself (oh wait..I do!), I want you to know that every day is better and I am getting stronger.  I know I will have nearly the full use of my hand again and will be able to continue to do all of the things I love.

I have been sobered by reading about a couple of courageous women who have had incomparable challenges.  The first, Stephanie Nielson, suffered devastating burns to 83% of her body and survived to continue to raise her four young children with grace and beauty.* 

Carol Decker had both her leg's below the knees amputated, her left arm below the elbow amputated, her right ring finger amputated (leaving her with very limited use of that hand); and is now blind -- all due to complications surrounding the premature birth of her second child.  She is now learning how to live life and parent again faced with her very recent devastating physical loss.**  

Wow... in the scheme of things my little pointer finger is insignificant.

I am so grateful that I have a body that is relatively problem free and that I have had the full and unencumbered use of for over half a century.  I have given birth to seven children who are all whole in body and mind.  Miraculous really.  I vow to appreciate it more and complain less.

While I can't yet really enjoy hooking myself again, I am going to the Camellia Guild's Rug Show in Sacramento this weekend and will enjoy seeing what everyone there has been up to.  I look forward to hopefully running into old friends and meeting new ones.

**Read about Stephanie Nielson here.  One of my daughters sent me this link and I ended up going back and reading her whole blog from the beginning I was so impressed with this family.  (Video about her experience here.)

**Read about Carol Decker here.  I found Carol and Scott's blot from a reference to it from Stephanie Nielson's blog.  She indicated they were a family who needed people's prayers, thoughts and financial support.