Sunday, October 9, 2011

Transformations....

A few weeks ago the younger boys discovered four monarch butterfly caterpillars in my garden.  They excitedly deposited the caterpillars and some leaves that they were on into a clear plastic bug house.  Every day they checked their tiny "pets," waiting for them to form their chrysalis.

I didn't capture a photo of the newly formed, bright green chrysalis, but did capture this amazing photo...
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This was taken the morning of the monarch's emergence.  Can you see the beautifully distinct monarch wings within the (now clear) chrysalis?  Absolutely amazing!

The day that we witnessed this transformation, my dear, dear 96 year old grandmother, "Nana" fell, fracturing her pelvis in multiple places.

When I arrived home after visiting her in the hospital, Joshua greeted me in our driveway with this!

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I couldn't help but wonder at the timing of this butterfly's emergence....

My grandmother is now in hospice care and I have been able to spend time there with her and my parents as she nears her "graduation" to heaven~ a transformation that is even more astounding than a caterpillar
changing into a butterfly.

My grandmother has been such a gift to me.  In her eyes I can do no wrong.  My family is fabulously supportive and has always been there to cheer for me, but my Nana not only cheered, but was truly convinced that I was better than perfect.  The older I get, the more glaring my faults appear to me, but it sure has been nice to have her think that about me anyway!  Oh how I love my Nana!

In addition, I am now on crutches.  sigh.  As I mentioned before, I have been battling hip pain since last spring.  An MRI last Friday confirmed my fear.... I do have another femoral neck stress fracture.  The protocol is 6 weeks totally non-weightbearing on crutches.  I am *so* glad that I have been given the "ok" to swim as long as I use a pull buoy so I am not kicking.

If you have been reading my blog since last year, you might remember that I had a femoral neck stress fracture in my right hip last year.  I ended up having it "pinned" when it simply wouldn't heal up on its own.  (Surely that didn't have anything to do with the fact that I kept "cheating" and didn't use the crutches like I was supposed to!  I did really, really try, honest!)

Tom and my parents are already making bets on how long I'll last on crutches this time.  Honestly!  And they're not even thinking I'll last a week!  I'm determined this time to be good...

Seriously though, I would appreciate your prayers~ I really can't begin to express to you how intensely frustrating it is for me to have to sit so much and not be able to run around cooking, doing laundry and playing with the children.  In addition, it is a huge change for me to go from 2 hours of hard exercising most days to only swimming.

Six weeks isn't really that long in the whole scheme of things, but right now, after only 48 hours on crutches, it is looming large in front of me.

Don't worry, I'll find plenty of things to keep me "profitably occupied," but I'm being honest here... I'm really struggling with this and having to watch my grandmother die.  God is still good and I am choosing to dwell on His promises... He will remain faithful, even when my circumstances are hard.

I appreciate your prayers, friends!

4 comments:

  1. Wow, Susan, you are dealing with so much right now. Praying for you, and for your sweet Nana.

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  2. Darn it Susan!! I'm sorry. I hope your recovery goes smoothly and that it's all you need. Enjoy the swimming - that's what I can't do right now.

    Hope your grandmother is doing well too!

    And wow - what an amazing pic of the butterfly. Really cool!

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  3. I love your blog. Just found yoou through Pinterest and your words are even more inspiring than your pins. Thanks for all you share here! Best wishes to you and your sweet Nana (I was blessed with a similar Nana).
    hugs,
    Leslie

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  4. ~Carmen, Thanks *so* much, my friend! I appreciate your prayers and friendship!

    ~Michael~ thanks my friend. I am *so* glad that I can swim~ I'd be super-bummed if I couldn't do *anything*!

    ~Leslie, thanks *so* much for your kind comments! Aren't Nanas like that fabulous? I am aspiring to be as big of a cheerleader to my sweet family as she has been for me.

    Have a fabulous Sunday!

    ~susan

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