Recovery

Recovery comes in many forms. It's the healing of the mind, body and spirit. My son, Steve, is recovering from surgery on his legs. This will be a long process, as we adjust the struts holding the bones to either lengthen them in one direction and shorten them in another. All this to make his legs straight so he can walk, run and play without pain. The recovery isn't and won't be without its share of pain.

We have intermittent times of pleasure when he's feeling fit and without much pain. Our time together is enjoyable. Then there are the days where the pain sets in, and it's hard to walk or even move. These are the days when prayer is all that gets me through them. When he's in pain, he lashes out and I'm usually the closest target. What I need to remember is he's in pain and really doesn't mean it. I need to let it go and stay calm and not react.

Not reacting is the hardest thing. Every action has a reaction. We've been taught that all our lives. Yet, reacting is not necessarily the best thing to do in some cases. Sometimes we need to think and decipher if a reaction is appropriate. What a hard lesson.

So far, Steve's progress is good. He's impressing the physical therapy staff with his achievements. However, some of these achievements come with a price of soreness and stiffness the next day or two. Today we start our second week of therapy with the pool session. He really likes that because he can usually walk without assistance.