About to have my two-week post-op appointment with my surgeon… I’m told hernia surgery is a routine, bread and butter procedure for a general surgeon. I had a double, bilateral version. For any more details of such procedures, Dr. Google will give you all, even more than, the pictures and information you want. No worry. I’ll never offer to show you my scars.

Our cool family physician Dr. Harmon confirmed and relieved me with, ‘yep, that’s what you have’. She referred me to Dr. Rader who promptly saw me, took plenty of time with me, set the date, and best I can tell did good work. This happened at the One Day Surgery at St., Vincent’s, where we were personably and professionally well-treated by all.

ROUTINE SURGERY OBSERVATIONS.

Okay now to the week of being sidelined at home in the patient, competent care of nurse Dianne, of whom I was her more in sickness than in health husband.

The Pain Thing: Routine or not, pain hurts! Through God’s grace of appropriately administered drugs, I did not hurt too much for too long. I did my part by being very still to keep the hurt at bay. But I did hurt enough to be reminded never to take not hurting for granted.

The Moving Matter: For a few days the transitions between sitting, standing, and lying were where the main pain took a bite, burned, and jabbed. Oh my, grateful for the relative brief stints of it. Mindful of those whose pain is long, not short.

The Helpless Stuff: Gratitude for Carol, Dianne’s trainer. Years of working out, weight lifting paid off. For a couple days, Dianne had to manhandle (or maybe woman-handle) my torso up from the bed and couch, so I could get the rest of me up. Not to mention putting my socks on me and….

The Oh-By-the Ways: Over the years, I have chuckled, commiserated with couples about the ‘Oh-By-The-Ways’ of weddings. Despite the best plans, it always costs more and takes more time. Caterer, florist, photographer and such…Oh by the way, that is extra. Point, despite good pre-op information, there were interesting daily Oh By the Way’s of the world of bruise coloration, ‘yeah, that will look that way for a while’, along with random scandom zinges and twinges. Routine of course…in retrospect.

Soup Elixir Therapy: We hear of the medicinal, at least soothing, property of chicken soup. For whatever queasy reasons, I had no desire those days for anything poultry. But oh, I give Eucharistic thanks for the daily sacrament of wine and bread, in the form of Campbell’s Cream of Tomato Soup with Premium Saltines served by my matrimonial minister.

RELEARNINGS…

Pain Hurts. As routine and relatively short lived as mine proved to be, pain can be absorbing, rob our attention and energy for much else. God alone knows how many times as a pastor I have been with people whose pain is chronic, even intractable. Renewed love and respect for you.

Embodied Spirits-Inspirited Bodies. There is a porous, diaphanous veil between our bodies and spirits. Very hard for our spirits to soar when our bodies hurt. As well, what troubles our spirit often manifests itself in real aches and pains.

No Return Policy. My ‘maturing’ belly, which doesn’t look as good as it used to anyhow, will likely not quite go back to even that. Considering the changes surgery and conditions can bring to our body image is very important…maybe involves a sort of grief process from loss to gratitude. Thanks for what has been. Yes, to what is more or less ahead.

The Sacrament of Scars & Healing: I once heard a surgeon comment how he could do a procedure, produce the conditions for healing…but when the cuts and the stiches actually heal that is out of his hands. …how the miracle of healing never ceased to amaze him…how even with best efforts there will be some scarring, ‘God can’t heal us without a scar.’ There is a kind of beauty mark scar tissue testimonial on bodies and relationships that have endured much to survive, and even to thrive.

Active, Shared Faith: In Mark 2, a fab four trapeze their paralyzed pal through the ceiling for Jesus’ healing attention below. Jesus heals the guy with the strange words, “Your sins are forgiven.” Recall the diaphanous veil between body and spirit, here between healing and forgiveness.

Jesus tells him to pick up his cot and go home. Some suggest to get tools to come back and fix the roof. Point is, Jesus says, your faith has played its part in the forgiveness and healing. Question: whose faith? Is it the newly ambulatory guy? …Or is it the four moonfaces looking down from above? Answer: Yes.

No one can do our living, believing, healing, or getting better for us. But none of us can do anything that matters alone. Faith is not a solo feeling. Faith is a God empowered shared strength for caring for one another. There is a near unending lifelong line of people of faith and love that make me ‘well’ on any given day.

Prominent among them are family, teachers galore beginning with Sunday school sort, a host of church folks, even some not so churchy types, friends, mentors, medical ministers…and body and soul manhandling wife.

Who are your routine fab four and more?