Two weeks of thanksgiving

 Two weeks. Yes, it has been a little over two weeks since I had knee replacement surgery. It has been quite the two weeks. The first weekend was when we had the brutally cold weather. We were already going to be stuck inside so it didn't matter to us. Actually, we were going to be spending a lot of time in the living room, so having it cold made it possible to use the fireplace. So that wasn't so bad.

I have gone to a cane. I am walking stairs, one at a time. Up with the good, down with the bad. That is the mantra I have as I do the stairs. Up with the good, down with the bad. Anyone who has had leg problems probably knows the mantra. It works. It really works. Slow but sure wins the race, or at least gets you to the top of the stairs or the bottom of the stairs - in one piece, not in a pile at the bottom trying to sort out if you are hurt or not. Thankfully, I have never fallen down the stairs. Thank God for that!

Physical therapy - need I say more? Really? You don't get it? They are good at what they do. They push you, they pull you, they make sure that you are doing what you are supposed to do. I was at 1 degree on laying my leg straight. That is actually better than the right leg. It also bent to 111 degrees without any help from Jordan the PT. With her help, it went to 116 degrees. Wozzer! That was good. 

Staples came out Friday. The PT took them out. At least 14. Didn't hurt. Looks really good. No, I will not post a picture of my knee. It isn't gross looking. There is no redness or anything that looked like an infection. So that is good news. That big bandage is finally gone. Now the staples are not pulling, might be able to bend even more. Keep us the exercises. Keep bending. Build up the strength in the quads. 

Getting back to live preaching this weekend. The last 4 services (actually 6 but Saturday/Sunday are counted as one) have been recorded. Attended worship for two of them. Gave me a chance to see myself preach, and figure out what I could do better or differently. I look forward to being back to leading worship. 

Was it worth getting my knee replaced? Yes it was. Is it comfortable yet? No. Is there still pain? Yes. But it is still worth it. The pain will go away. I know that because my right knee is doing well. Do I grumble about the pain? Oh yes. Not openly. Not to other people. But to Penny and to my dogs. I even grumble to my turtles. But they don't tell anyone what I say. There are times when I wish the pain would be gone. There are times I pray for a miracle to take it all away. And as Penny tells me, I am getting that miracle, as the healing takes place and the pain lessons, as I am able to lift my foot off the bed, as the staples came out without any infection. Yes, a miracle of healing from the hand of the Lord. I give thanks for that healing. As I lay in bed, offering up my prayers, I have found myself spending more time thanking God for the many blessings He has given me. In fact, it seems as though I am spending less time asking for something for myself and more time thanking Him for all He continues to do for me, that come without any merit or worthiness in me. I know, sounds Lutheran. But that is what I am. And it is very Scriptural. 

So if you see me walking with a cane, rejoice for me. If you see me wince in pain, give thanks to God for me. For these are part of this wonder of having a new knee. I can't believe how amazing it is that God has given doctors the ability to replace an old, worn out knee with a new, improved knee. 

Stepping into a new week, we will see where it will take me. And where it will take you. Lord, lead us on.+

One week reflection

 One week. That is all that it has been. Last week, Thursday, Feb. 11th, I was laying in the hospital bed at Clarinda Regional Healthcare, having just had my left knee replaced. It was a grand night. I could move fairly well. The pain killers were working, the leg was still waking up. I could move my leg. I could stand up. I could sit up. I was doing all right. I was thinking, "This isn't so bad. I should be back to leading worship in a week. No problem." Then reality set in.

That brings us to today, Thursday, Feb. 18th. One week later. Yes, I am walking. But when I lay on the bed and try to lift my foot, forget about it. It won't move. Really. It won't come up off the bed. What is up with that? Last Thursday it did. Today, nope. Not happening. No matter how hard I strain, it won't raise itself. Oh, Jordan helped me Wednesday to lift the leg and lower it back to the bed. Without her help, it wouldn't have happened. What is going on? My leg has to heal. It has to relearn what it was doing. It has only been one week since the doctor was playing around in there, grinding, drilling, hammering, cementing and moving things around. That still amazes me that they are able to do that work. I don't remember any of it at all. I praise God for that. Thank God for being knocked out. Thank God for the amnesia drugs. Thank God that the doctors know what they are doing. 

So that brings me to this evening, the 18th. I sit here, let up, trying to get comfortable. Penny keeps giving me pain pills. I think, I don't need one. So I skip it. Wrong! I needed it. Then I have to wait for the pain killers to catch up. OK, so I keep taking them. Yesterday's PT was tough. Jordan did a good job. But it wore me out. It was painful (yes, I took my pain pill beforehand). I came home and slept for and hour or two. I was hurting. But I tried to do the exercises that evening. I did them again today. That is how I know that my foot wouldn't come up off the bed.

I can say that I have been sleeping well this time. Lat time, I slept for about an hour then work up. I did that all night for a couple weeks. Every hour, on the hour, I would wake up. Thankfully, I would go back to sleep after a bit. But this time, I am sleeping much better. I am thankful for that. I sleep during the day. And I sleep at night. Let the body heal! 

I am asked, how is it going. It is going well. Recovery is doing well. Healing is happening. PT is doing what it is supposed to do. I am thankful for it all. But most of all, I am thankful for your prayers and support. I feel blessed to have people from around this nation praying for my health and healing. I feel blessed to know that I am not facing this alone. Each and every one of you is a blessing to me and to Penny. Thank you. Thank you so much for lifting us up. For supporting us. For loving us. For caring for us. Those phone calls or texts have meant a lot. Those little messages mean so much. I give thanks to God for you. 

I am doing well. I would prefer to be up and walking without a walker or cane. I would prefer to be without pain. All of that will come one day. Probably sooner than I think. So Lord, grant me peace in this midst of all that I am facing, peace that passes all human understanding. 

And off I go, lifting my foot. Lowering my foot. My knee crying out. It has only been a week. 

Another day, another knee, and super cold weather. This too shall pass

Negative 8. That is 8 degrees below zero. That is cold. Really cold. That is what temperature it has been today, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. It was zero around midnight. Then it just decided to get colder. I watched as it dropped from -4 when I got up to -6 and then to -8. It has remained at that temp for the most of the day. There has been snow in the air. The wind has blown. It is a polar vortex at its best or worst or whatever you want to call it. Then I looked at next weekend, and it will be in the 30s! That will feel like a heat wave after all this cold weather.

So what did I do today? Stayed inside. But wait, aren't I a preacher? Isn't this Sunday? Wasn't I supposed to do a worship service. Well...kinda. I did preach today. But I had recorded it 2 weeks ago in preparation for this weekend. No, I am not a prophet who can foretell what is coming. I had the knee replacement surgery on Thursday and I knew that I would not be able to preach last night or this morning. And I was right. My mind is not clear enough for that. The pain meds and the pain itself would have made it impossible to lead worship. I thank God that I have a strong Board of Eldes who led the worship services. Then I recorded the sermons and Casey Brown was able to play them ont he screen. I watched it on YouTube this afternoon. Not a bad Transfiguration/Valentine's sermon. God's love really shown through. He loves us so much He sent His Son to be our Savior. That is the great news He shares with us each day.

Knee replacement. Some of you have gone through it before. I had the right one replaced last October 8th. It is going well now. Boy was it sore. You begin to forget the pain that you had with it. Then I had this one done last Thursday. It seemed ok while at the hospital on Thursday. Walk. Easy peasy. Get in and out of bed. No trouble. This is cake work. 

Then it begins to wake up. The nerves begin to fire again. And suddenly, "Ouch!" that doesn't feel so good. It hurts to move the leg. It hurts to try to lift it to the stool. Elevate it, you are told. OK. But that isn't quite as easy as you think. Wozzer. That let is mighty heavy. I thought the right one was heavy because it was so swollen. But the left one isn't nearly as swollen, and it is just as heavy. Close to impossible to lift without help. Turn the wrong way? You realize it immediately. I have cried out more than I ever thought possible. I am so glad I only have 2 knees to be replaced so that I don't have to go through this again. 

Is it worth it? Yes it is. The right leg does not have the pain. And the left leg doesn't have the same pain it did when I went in Thursday morning. There is surgery pain. Pain from playing golf with the bones in my leg. Pain from moving things around. Pain from stapling it up. Pain, pain, pain, but it is different. This pain will get better. It will go away. The pain I had before didn't go away. It just got worse. So I thank God for the doctors and medical teams who are able to do such things as total knee replacements. Soon (not soon enough for my thinking) I will be able to walk without pain. 

Physical Therapy starts tomorrow. Heel slides. Leg lifts. And a whole host of other things. Challenging? Oh yes. But soon it will be all right.

My point? I have no point. Just an afternoon of rambling about anything. I thank the Lord for Penny as she takes care of me. I am thankful that I have such an understanding congregation to work with me, so they can see me on the big screen, bigger than life size. I will be back to leading the worship in a few weeks. We will see how quickly this heals. I have 4 sermon recorded. 1 has been used, leaving 3 more. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. The Senses of Lent begins. 

Bundle up. Stay warm. Be at peace and love one another. Till visit again. 

The Left Knee is gone.

There I lay, unaware of what was taking place. Oh, I know what was coming. But I did not know how it would go. What am I talking about? My surgery. Thursday I arrived at the hospital in Clarinda, was checked in manually (the computers were down because the wifi wasn't working). It was cold but not as cold as it was going to get. Want do to central waiting, was called by and began to get ready for surgery. My left knee was going to be replaced. IV started. Leg shaved (even the toes, that always gets me, cause I don't ahve hairy toes. Do you?). The a run through with the guy that puts you out (I have trouble spelling that "a" word). The Doctor signed my leg. Yes, it is the left leg. The 6 inch scare on the right knee might be telling as to which one is to be done. But that is ok, I have a famous person's signature. The bummer of it, it is washed off when they are cleaned the leg. 

Then waited and waited. The doctor has another surgery before mine. That is all right. I can wait. The nurse comes in and says it is time. Hurrah! I think. I text Penny one more time and we are rolling. She pushed the button, the doors open and there, in front of me, is the room. Cold? Yes, but not as cold as outside. I shift from the guerney to the operating table. I sit on the side of the bed, wrapped in warm blankets. Looking around, I see trays of parts. Drills and other instruments of destruction. Is this garage or an operating room? Are they working on a used car or a used knee? 

Lean over, I am told. The gas guy feels my back to find where the spinal block is to go. The he washed it. Last time it was much colder, the wash. Guess it depends on what you are used to. In October, we had warm weather, remember that? I sat on the porch in shorts. Won't do that this time. So the wash was cold, but not as stark as last time. Then I laid down. I remember the nurse saying she had a place for my right arm and that is all I remember 

This is where I began. I lay there, unaware of what is taking place. I haven't even watched a YouTube video of it. I started one but stopped as soon as they were cutting the knee, and that was an animated video. Couldn't do it. They worked on the leg. Cuit, sawed on it, Drilled it. I guess they cement it or glue it or something - the parts they put in. Penny said the doctor had to use a little larger piece to give better stability. Stability. A garage or an operating room. The doctor did want he needed to do, stapled me together, put on the compression bandage, gauze, and ace bandage.

Of to recover, which I had no clue about. Texted Penny and the family. Still had not clue. Moved to my room. While she waited, Penny visited with one of our members. That was really nice of Susan Hicks to spend some time with Penny. The fellowship of the church is a powerful thing. Supporting one another, talking with one another, that is what we do. Help each other. I have to say thank you to everyone who were praying for me. You wrapped me tightly in your prayers and I felt safe and secure going into surgery. I was in the Lord's hand. I was supported by people from St. John, from thoughout the community and from around the nation. It is humbling to know that so many people care for me that they were praying for me. I give thanks to God for the love that all of you were showing. Thank you.

Then in the room. Had great nurses. I kept saying 3:30 but Penny told me it was closer to 2:30 when I arrived there. Who do I listen to? The person who texts weird things or the person who was able to think straight? So it was probably closer to 2:30 than 3:30. People coming and going, I think. I really don't know who came in and talked with us. I remember that Bobby, the physical therapist came in and got me up. Walking. Still blows my mind. No pain! None! I could walk, small steps and not have pain. Imagine that! Why? It was still numb from the medication I had been given. It did not hurt to move the leg. Amazing. Let me tell you, that started to change through the night and by Friday morning, let's just say I was thankful Seth had stayed on top of the pain meds and that Whitney followed up with making sure I had what I needed. 

I didn't sleep that well though. About every 10 minutes I would wake up. I had very vivid dreams, like petting my dogs, which I could feel and my hand was moving like I was petting them. I talked with Penny, which was real, but it was only a dream. Wild stuff. I guess that is what happens with the various medications I was on. But hey, I had no pain. Tried to sleep. Got in a little. Then awake, then a little. They would come. Even had to get up and get weighed at 4:15 a.m. Yep, that time of the morning I had to get out of bed, stand on the scale to get weighed. OK. I did it. You do what you are told. You might ask questions. But you still do what you are told. But weighing you at 4:15 in the morning. Craziness.

Overall, I would say it was a good experience, if getting a knee replaced can be a good experience. I felt good all night. But this evening, Friday evening, I can sure tell I had surgery. Ouch. Pain level? Sitting here about a 3-4. Putting my leg up on the stool, about a 7 or maybe 8. Thank the Lord for pain medicine. Can't imagine what it would be like without pain meds. 

Came home about 3 in the afternoon. Had to stop at Hyvee to get presciptions. Penny went in, I stay in the van and waiting. Did not want to walk that far. Before we left, we had to have the ace bandage of gauze taken off. When the nurse looked at she saw that it had bled through. When? Sometime during the night. Maybe when I had to get up and get weighed? What do you think? It was old blood.  Could have been anytime. All I know is that it needed to be changed. So they did change it. I did not watch or look. Last time it was changed and cleaned up (right knee), I had that terrible vegalling, when I black out. Oh that is a terrilb feeling. I made it through this whole surgery and recovery with having that happen. Thank You Lord! I am so thankful. Also haven't gotten sick when I arrived home, thanks to the patch they put behind my left ear. It is to help with nausea. So all in all, it has been a good experience.

There were things said or texted that I don't remember. Said some strange things. But that happens. Medication does that to a person. But I do say thank You Lord, for this procedure. I might have surgery pain but the knee pain itself is gone. That is a blessing. The Lord is good, all the time. All the time, the Lord is good. Doesn't mean He always gives me what I want. But what He gives me is good, how He cares for me is good. Thanks Lord. 

Thank you to all you who held Penny and me in your prayers. We greatly appreciate them. Keep them coming - for healing, for recovery, for patient for me, for strength for Penny as she cares for me (especially when I lose my patience), and just for us. Thank you. We lift you up in prayer too. What pleasure it is to be a part of the body of Christ. Each one supporting the other, held together in God's might hand. Wow. Powerful. Wonderful. The Body of Christ is a great army of prayer warriors. And I am receiving the benefits of that now. Thanks.

How cold is it?

 It is cold. No, let me rephrase that, it is extremely cold. At the current time, it is -2. That is two degrees below zero. Not 2 degrees above zero. Not the wind chill. That is the air temperature. If you factor in the wind, which doens't have to be much at this temperature, it is -15. Now for those of you further north or out west of here in Nebraska, you might say, "That is nothing, we are ____ (name your temp)." I get it. It is colder elsewhere. I feel for you. I have lived where it has gotten that cold. I remember one winter where we went 18 days without getting above zero, that is the high never got above zero. Yes, it was colder then.

But let me tell you, my feet are cold. I sit here at my desk, look outside, shiver, and then realize, even with the little heater under my desk, my feet are still cold. It is brutal. Bring your pets in. For those of you who have livestock, anyway to bring them into your house to keep them warm? No? (I know there isn't, but just wanted to see if anyone would take me up on the offer!) I feel for you. Chores in this weather is miserable. I pray for you. Be safe. Don't get frostbite. Bundle up in you Carhart. I hope you have a heated cab on your tractor. I feel for the cattle. They have to be cold. I couldn't be standing out there in the field or feed lot in this weather. I know you have to chip ice off the water so they can drink. It is a non stop job as a person who has livestock. Prayers for you. 

For those with pets, bring them in. We had a chicken once. Yes, we had one chicken. Henrietta. The story of how we got her will wait for another day. It is fun. Anyway, Henrietta had a coop out behind the house in Troy, IL. During good weather, she was free range, meaning she wandered our yard eating bugs. She came when we called her. She had a warming light in her coop along with straw. Kept her wamr most of the time. But when it got brutal cold like this, we would bring her into our garage, where we had a dog kennel, set up for her, with plenty of straw, a place to perch, a cover over the kennel, and her own heater. We kept her warm. She appreciated it and gave us eggs. What is my point? Oh, yet, it is that if you have a pet, bring them in out of the cold. I saw a meme that said, "Go out and sit with you pet in the yard. Then, when you find it is too cold, bring them in." That is good advice. I let my dogs out regularly,  but I don't let them stay out long. It is too cold. So that means that they go in and out, in and out. That's ok. I know they are healthy and safe.

Where am I going with this blog? Nowhere. It is just cold. Sounds like this weekend is going to be even colder. Get ready. Bundle up. I know I will. But this weekend, I won't be getting out at all. Why? Not because of the cold, but because I will have just had a knee replaced on Thursday (in two days!). So it is a good time to be laid up. Penny will take care of me. I will moan and groan. I will be the typical patient. And through it all, I know two things: 1) The Lord is always with me (I never doubted this) and 2) Penny really does love me (I never doubted this either). 

Be safe. Be warm. Check on your friends and family. Love one another. If you see someone who is in need, help them. Show the love of Christ, not just when it is brutally cold, but every day. All right, I think I will turn my heater up to warm my toes. 

The wind is blowing

 I am sitting in my kitchen this morning. That is where I am usually sitting when I blog. As I sit here, I listen to the wind blowing, really blowing. I just checked and it is blowing at 29 miles an hour with gusts higher than that. It is really howling out there. 

This made me think of Pentecost. I wonder how many people were sitting in their houses in Jerusalem that Sunday morning, having a cup of coffee and reading the Jerusalem times, when the wind began to blow. (I know that I used creative license on the previous sentence.) And blow it did. It howled through the city. It was a time when there were no winter storms. This would have been late spring/early summer, so mornings were not the time when the wind would really blow. Yes, storms might blow up, but that would happen from the heating of the day, much like what we face at that time of the year. Sitting there, the wind began blowing and one says to the other, "What is that? What is going on?" Getting up, they wold go outside, as others were coming out of their houses, and what did they find? A storm? Rain falling? A tornado? Nope. 

They found some folks talking. Not just talking but talking in a variety of different languages. People from different nations were hearing them talk in their languages. It must have been crazy! Lots of talking. Lots of languages. Lots of people. It probably was a wild time. Then Peter speaks up and begins to explain what was going on.

What was happening is the Holy Spirit had come. He had come to work faith in the hearts and the lives of people. He came to empower the disciples to proclaim the word of God. And in the midst of that crowd of people, which must have been mighty big, nearly 3000 people came to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What an amazing day! Powerful day. Wonderful day!

All that went through my mind as the wind blew by. I pray that the Spirit will work mightily in the hearts of people today. That He will strengthen those who believe in Jesus already. That He will change hearts and bring them to believe in Jesus as their Savior. That kingdom of God would be proclaimed again and again. That is to go on until that day when Jesus comes. And He will come. Do not doubt that! Until He does (and who knows when that will be), may the Spirit lead you to continue to speak of Jesus Christ to others, so that the gospel may be spread and lives may be changed and salvation might be given.

Be safe out there in the weather. Stay warm and safe. And be held fast in the hand of the Lord.

A bit of rambling on snow and Phil.

 We had a lot of snow last week. 14 inches is a lot of snow. It was the 2nd most snow that Clarinda has had in its history. It was 1912 when there was more snow that we received last week. It was a lot. It is still around today, probably because it will take a while for that much snow to melt. I am thankful that we didn't get too much rain last Saturday because it might have led to flooding. Having said that, I listened to the news this morning about a snow storm in the East. Some of those places got 30 inches of snow. Imagine that! 30 inches! How is that possible? That is a bunch of snow. I thought we had a lot, but that is only half the amount that they received. As much as we prayed that the Lord would keep us safe in our large snow, we need to pray for those out East so that they are kept safe in this huge amount of snow. May the Lord watch over all of them - especially the plow drivers, and those emergency personnel that need to be on call and working during this storm. 

How do I feel about how things are going in our country? I don't know. I do not understand trying to set laws by executive order. No other president has used so many EOs. I guess this is the way to get rid of Pres. Trump's legacy as quickly as possible. Why work through the House and the Senate? Why let them do their job when Pres. Biden can do it all with a stroke of a pen. I shake my head and realize, this is what so many voted for since a record number of people voted for him, more than any other, including the very popular Pres. Obama. I have nothing else to say about this.

Soon and very soon, I am going to get a knee. I had my surgery in January cancelled due to a positive test. Did I have it? Did I not have it? Well, if you go by symptoms, you would have to say no. The test said yes. So surgery was cancelled. Thankfully, they rescheduled it for Feb. 11th. As I have had to go through another month and I now know that it must be done. Yes, it hurts. Standing is a challenge. Stairs, well, let's just say that I don't race up the stairs. My right knee is doing well. It is good. Thank the Lord! So a little more than a week and the PT begins again. That therapy is challenging. But it is worthwhile.

Well, what else can I say? I am sure I can ramble on. Those that listen to a sermon might think that is true. I hope not. But rambling is easy for me. The ground hog saw his shadow this morning so there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If he had not, then spring would come early, probably in six weeks. Wait, spring does begin in six weeks. Phil is a cute ground hog. I would not have been looking him in the eyes like they did. I would be afraid that he would bite my nose. He is so well behaved. Way to go Phil!

I pray that you have a blessed day. Today and tomorrow will be the best days of the week for us here in Clarinda. Then it will begin to turn cold. Realllllly cold! Looks like lows at zero or below for about 4-5 days. We will all have to bundle up to stay warm. We will see what happens when the weekend gets here. Goodluck to all of us.