Back to School

I am trying not to panic at the thought of my dear "Nana" going back to school tomorrow! Nana is my mother, she and my dad live next door to us. She teaches Special Ed. for Elementary ages at the local school, and has for 30 years. School was out for summer break about the same time I quit my job to stay home. So I've not done this yet with out the reassurance that she is only about an acre away. I know I can handle it, it's not that. She isn't like an Everybody Loves Raymond type, so I've not "used" her as back up much. But oh boy when I have I have really needed it! I don't know what my Princess and Prince will think when they don't see Nana in the yard and talk me into letting them go over "to help".
In thinking about her I relize about two months ago, not long after I started the blog and started my "TGOF's" I made mention of explaining "This is the Day" a bit more. I never really did.
I'm going to make a really long story as short as I can. To get straight to the point for 11 years my mother suffered with EXTREME back pain. I don't mean a sprain or a discomfort. I'm talking debilitating at times. Again to keep a really long emotional story short. It wasn't fun. Lots and lots of different doctors and specialists, shot treatments, back braces, xrays, steriods, pain pills... yep this discription could go on forever. But out of watching this as a child and not fully understanding then, but being able to look back now and use life lessons from it. I learned from living through my side of her pain. As a child you feel a "pain" when you know the parent/caregiver you love so much is hurting. So here's a little bit I learned from how gracefully and faithfully she dealt with what life had given her.

• I learned pain is "temporary". Even it's eleven years long. There is no pain in heaven, so pain is temporary. 
• I've learned there is always someone dealing with something worse than what you are, humble yourself and be smart enough to recognize it. 
• TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! If you think something is wrong, or the doctor's diagnosis isn't right or complete... Do the research! Ask questions! If this steps on his "god complex ed" toes then so be it. I respect doctors and that they have years of training and experience, but I know MY body. Don't doubt that in yourself. If my mother had ignored it or given up she never would have finally found the physical therapist that found the doctors had been looking all around the problem for years. It was her "S I" joint in her hip. It had torn years ago and was slowly painfully separating and turning, twisting, pulling her muscles, creating the pain in her back.
• Some people may not believe the truth, it's ok. You know it's the truth. Some doctors out there gave up on her basically. Since they couldn't find her pain and cure it must be in her head or she's lying for attention or whatever reason. They wanted to put her on antidepressants and pain pills mostly because they didn't know what else to do. She knew she was in pain and was telling the truth. That's all that mattered.
• One thing that stuck with me obviously was her use of her faith and God's word. " This is the day the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalms 118:24. It's the verse that got her out of bed every morning, no matter how bad the pain. God had made the day and she was going to be thankful for it. She had a small card that had the verse on it that stayed on her bathroom mirror for YEARS. At one point she even painted it around the top of the wall in her bedroom like a border. Did she ever have days where she probably wasn't so thankful, sure! But she taught me it also means be thankful IF AND WHEN God blesses us with another day so that we have another chance to be better. So when life is amazing, good, hard, painful, or whatever this day brings, I will rejoice and be glad in it. 

Trust me it's only a small spec of what this woman has taught me and is teaching me, but it's one that I was ready to share with whom ever reads it. Thanks for reading. Have a thankful blessed day!