I'll Stand By You

It's late and yes, I'm up, and yes, it's a work night, and yes, I'm tired.  It's just that it's really quiet and I feel a little lost without my other half here with me.  My husband had knee replacement surgery this afternoon on his right knee and will be in the hospital a couple days. It's hard to watch someone you love lying in a hospital bed, seeing them being in pain, etc.  I wanted to switch places so bad.  In the day to day, you know you love someone but it seems when something like this is going on and the one you love is hurting, you can almost feel the love inside you expand and reach out.  I sat beside him offering drinks of water whenever he would wake up, or ask if there was anything else he needed.  Being extremely groggy, in some pain naturally (a big thank you for morphine drips), he wasn't saying too much but we had some conversation periodically.  I'd fill him in on who had called or texted to see how he was doing.  We talked about how grateful we were to the Lord for Him watching over the surgery and how although he had pain now, it would go away and he was going to be on the road to recovery back to a normal way of life.  No more constant knee pain and weakness, being able to walk longer than 15 minutes or so, etc.  But there is something about those moments when it's just the two of you in these situations and you just look at each other and you don't even need words.  You know what the other person is saying without words just by the way they are looking at you. It's something I had thought I would never experience, a dream I had let go of. But almost 16 married years later, and almost 17 years together, here it is. That love, that bond, that keeps growing, that endures, that says "I'll stand by you", through it all.  For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.  It can bring a gal to tears.  Joyful, thankful tears.  It was hard leave his room tonight to come home.  He kept telling me I needed to go so I could get home and rest.  But all I kept thinking to myself was that although the nurses were great they didn't know how to take care of him like I do.  They can't bring him calmness and ease like I can.  No one knows him like I do. Isn't that silly? Nah, it's just natural I suppose.

So I'm not really sure of the purpose of this blog tonight/this morning, I guess I just needed to write down what was going on in my head.  I do know that I'm extremely thankful to the Lord for His care as the surgery went so well, and the wonderful skills of Dr. Barr and his team.  Thankful for the many family and friends praying for him and the surgery (and me). Thankful to our pastor and his wife, my parents, my stepdaughter, sister-in-law, a pair of good friends, and later my stepson, who all came to the hospital to be with David and I. Thankful for all those folks checking in by phone and Facebook. It's such a wonderful experience to feel the Lord's presence in those times and to see Him personified in the support of family and friends.

"Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord." ~ James 5:13   [New Living Translation]