The Gift of Appendicitis

On Wednesday evening, Diane had her appendix taken out (the doctor said that while it had not ruptured, it was “gangrenous”, which made me think of Will Ferrell’s cameo on Austin Powers). Of course, this experience was not much fun for her, but as far as surgeries go, an appendectomy these days is pretty routine – it is done laparoscopically with three small incisions and she was home the next morning.

It seems that a lot of little things have been sort of piling up lately, from our fridge conking out to Jacob being sick for almost a week to a guy running off with $1200 of our money after we hired him to build a fence. But God has been showing me ways that this instance has been a gift (and I am sure that the hospital will also have a nice gift for us in a few weeks after Blue Cross does their part).

1) Rest for Diane – my amazing wife keeps up with our kids and me, runs a great household, and works part-time cleaning homes (including getting up at 5:30 am on Tuesdays to clean a barber shop). She is not one to rest, and she has been very tired the past two weeks (due to Jacob being ill and probably due to her gangrenous appendix). She would not have taken rest unless she had to, and this has forced her to rest, as well as given her “permission” to let me and others do things for her.

2) Empathy for Diane – on Thursday I got the chance to keep up with our kids all day, and it’s just not as easy as Diane makes it look. By the end of the evening, I was exhausted and ready to give them all away. It made me appreciate why Diane looks at me with relief when I come home each evening.

3) Time with my kids – at the same time, I had the gift of being with my children more than I might normally have. Thursdays are my day off, and while I do spend some time with the kids, I also do other things on those days. But Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I had lots of time with my children and I really enjoyed it (when not wanting to give them away).

4) Time with my dad – who came up on Friday evening to take me and the kids to Chic Fil-A and then stayed to play Disney Princess Memory with Eliza and Psalter. We don’t get to hang out with granddaddy enough!

5) Time with my in-laws – who came up late Friday night and have stayed all weekend (thanks, Suzanne, for letting them have you apartment!). The house has stayed clear of clutter as Grandma helps pick up after the kids, and Grandpa has helped me repair our leaky toilet and our storm door, things that were easy fixes but I did not have the confidence or time to tackle by myself.

6) A chance to serve my wife – Diane does so much for me, it was my pleasure to take care of her.

7) An outpouring of love – we received many calls, emails, and cards over the last few days, as well as had several meals prepared for us. I knew we had great friends who loved us, and this just reinforced that to us.

And so all in all, though I am sure Diane would rather have not been laid up for a few days, I can say that this has been a pretty sweet, non-stressful time. That is the grace of God in our spirits and the grace of God manifested in those who have cared for us.