Monthly Archives: February 2008

So, my good wife (my only wife!) and I are working on exercises this morning.  Actually I’m doing the exercises, she’s cheering me on. I find I need the cheering, and the exercises in order to regain what surgery has given back to me.

Originally, in my mind, the idea was that I would continue with all sorts of activities while I recuperated.  the actual recovery would merely be one of those compartmental areas slotted in my PDA (Day Timer).

Yeah!  That worked for a day or two once I got home (sitting in a hospital it is your job to work on recovery — at home you have to set your priorities). 

The first few days I had welcome visitors — but I ran out of steam more quickly than expected.  I scheduled in some correspondence (emails, phone calls, etc.).  But somehow I was physically distracted and the "to do" list keeps growing without trying.

Now, the thought that many have told me is finally coming home.  "You are here to recover — the rest is gravy!"  To my friend Blaine — I feel the Paradigm Shift starting to reach into my soul.

What makes this especially pointed??  My wife has been through many major heart surgeries.  I think she told me this would happen (OK, she did mention it once or twice).  But "let him who has ears to hear, hear."

So, I’m turning up the volume a bit!!

We are at -4 degrees celsius.

A week ago we drove from Saskatoon in -38 degrees celsius weather.  34 degrees difference in temperature!

Now imagine awakening last week to just above freezing weather.  The roads are starting to melt, slush is prevalent and birds are twittering.

Come back a week later.  The same birds are seeking shelter from the 34 degree weather.  Streams of melted snow are quickly receding and cracks appearing in the ground.  Air conditioning units frequently stop and start.

How is it that in the middle of winter we can have 34 degree weather changes and the rest of the year that type of weather change creates havoc? 

Another sure sign of the ability of people to acclimatize themselves to wherever they live (which may be an advertizement not to live in certain places??).

I’ve just finished reading "The Shack" by William P. Young.  This self-published book is well written and  not for those who like to breeze through a story without thinking!

I’ve mentioned the book before, but now I’m just processing my own thoughts.  Would I recommend others to read it?  Yes.  [By others, I mean those who are able to discern thought and action, consequences and ideologies.– If someone is not at that point, they might make it into the first few chapters and then drop it because it is work!]

This is an attempt to take dry theological thoughts and turn them into story form.  In story form we wrestle with ideas that are flesh and blood and not just dry chalk and stale point form.

Add to this — the author is quite willing to step close to the edge of heresy while distinguishing heresy from "Orthodoxy".

Does he do well?  Yes.  By naming a woman "Papa" and relating that idea to God, we are all of a sudden pushed to think about "spirit" in terms of gender.  What does it mean that God is "spirit" – neither male nor female.  To keep  us on our toes, he later has "Papa" appear as a man – a father figure. 

Law and grace – two difficult concepts at the best of time — are opened up to spill out the beauty of saying that God lives in us (grace) and by this we fulfil the law.  What of ritual?  On this one, I wonder whether his distaste for ritual is just dealing with dry ritual, or if "chaos" should be the constant ritual in life?

Lots there to think about! 

The information overload by the end of the book will either keep you anxiously reading, or you will be ready for a break.  One way or the other — it’s definitely a read.  This is a book that will sneak up the best seller charts until one day all those publishers who decided not to publish it will be looking for reprint rights!!

So, today the doctor told me that people need to realize that they have had surgery.  No fingers pointing, of course!!

I began the day with my physiotherapist on our doorstep at 9:00 am.  She brought along a student intern.  I’m sure they don’t see double knee surgery every day, so this was a treat?  I did the exercises I’ve been working on, but my physiotherapist pushed a little (as physio is want to do).  A bit of a sore spot in the back — probably stretched a little too hard.  How is that . . . ?  I guess we are all one whole being made up of many parts, all interacting!  And aching together!!

I enquired about how often I should plan on getting out of the house.  She knew I had an appointment to remove staples this afternoon — that was a good start.  After that, maybe this week one "short" out of the house experience would be enough.  Don’t necessarily plan on going to church. 

After seeing her, I laid down my weary bones ’til my doctor’s appointment.  I had a 3/4 of an hour wait in the clinic lobby — that was pretty tough — my knees were sore and I wasn’t even walking or doing anything!

The actual removing of the staples went quickly and was fairly painless (just a few "pin pricks" was all I felt).  There were around forty or fifty staples removed.  Just a simple staple remover was all that was needed.

Then we headed to the hospital blood lab to check out my hemoglobin and any other thing that might need to assessed in the blood.

As we returned home — after an adventure outside of the house of only about an hour or two — I’ve decided I’m not quite ready for those "mall crawls" where you take your walker to the local mall and exercise for hours at a time.  No — if I’m up and running around the house tomorrow I’ll be doing well.

My next physio is a week Wednesday.  Maybe that will be soon enough to be "out and about"!!