This week has been a struggle. All during this vicious cold and flu season that has sidelined so many, Marsha and I have managed to avoid the worst of it all. A day or two of the sniffles here and there and we were past it. But then, about a week and a half before Easter Marsha ran into a full blown cold. With the choir singing for Easter, this was a big deal. By Easter, though, the debilitating part of the cold was behind her and everything worked out. However, by Easter evening I was getting sick. Which was OK. I got what I had so deeply craved for two years; a complete Easter season with the congregation of the Yoke. Don’t misunderstand. There has been very little about this week that I have enjoyed. But, when I look back at it I will only remember the blessed joy of celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord with the people I most care about.

          As rotten as I have felt this week, it is still better than a year ago. April 6, 2017, exactly one year ago today, our household got up really early. My wife and I got into one car and my son and his wife got into another and we drove, before sunrise, to Fort Wayne. Marsha chatted the whole way, but she always talks when she is nervous. Well, she talks when she is happy, when she is sad, when she is angry……..when she is pensive she is quiet, and that, being fairly rare, makes me nervous. But a year ago today she kept up a stream of conversation. We drove to Lutheran Hospital where I was taken and prepared for surgery. A good number of people came from the church to sit with Marsha and Adam and Kim, for which I will always be grateful. Meanwhile, a surgical team opened my chest, my left leg and three places on my torso and preceded to do a triple by-pass.

          There are some things about the whole ordeal that I am not happy about. One, even though we told them at the hospital that I had an allergy to tape, they still put lots of tape on my leg, even though there was a way to avoid tape. The skin on my leg was so affected that it still gives me problems. They told me later that lots of people claim tape allergies but are fine. They figured I was one of those. Yeah. Two, even though my diabetes was under control, they decided to put me on insulin. This resulted in two passing out episodes, one while I was driving, and two ambulance rides. None of that was enjoyable, especially since my insurance refused to pay for either ambulance. There were other things, but it is past now. Thinking about it is counter productive.

          What is important is that I was alive to enjoy Resurrection this year. By the time of my surgery last year I had gone down to the point that walking into Lutheran from the parking lot required a rest stop. I seriously believe I would be dead by now if not for the surgery. Everything during this last year has been extra special. A couple of months after surgery Marsha and I went on a boat ride on Lake Webster. Before the surgery I would have done that because Marsha wanted to do that. But this time it was really neat! Going to the drive-in took on a whole new meaning. VBS was a joy! Watching a baseball game was more fun than ever. I can drive to Fort Wayne or Indianapolis or back to Ohio with a stupid grin on my face when before I really didn’t enjoy the drive. I got to serve a session with KAIROS and help make a difference. For a year now I haven’t had to reach into my pocket with a trembling hand to fish out the little bottle of nitroglycerin tablets because my chest like it was going to explode or cave in or come apart, depending on the episode. I was able, this year, to be in a position to try and get Carla down off a table during a Board meeting. (Just so you know, what goes on in a Board meeting, stays in a Board meeting.) I have got to have another year pastoring a church. As times goes along and my energy continues to return, I intend to get better at pastoring, too. Living without pain, without shortness of breath, with being able to make plans is well worth the surgery.

          So, I have had a cold this week. I am sniffling right now and I will probably go home in a bit and lay down. I am certainly not going to visit anyone today and share this current misfortune. But a year ago today I didn’t know what was going to happen. A cold today? No big deal.

          Blessings to all.