That sound. The sound that makes your heart stop and your entire body instantly cold. It’s the sound your child makes when he’s hurt – really hurt.
Sunday started like any other Sunday at my house. We got up, had some coffee, watched the Seahawks beat the Jets, sliced a bunch of apples for the dehydrator, and The Best Husband Ever and I were sitting on the deck planning the meals for the week when I heard it. It took less than a second for that heart stopping-body cold feeling to register. I jumped up and ran towards the sound and saw my 10 year old screaming and running towards me holding his arm – his arm was bent in a very wrong way.
The boys had been playing football in the yard when Ahren fell and landed on a root from the big tree on the corner of the lawn. My son doesn’t do anything half-way, and breaking his arm is no different. His particular type of break is called a “Colles fracture” or a “silver fork fracture” because of the way the bones break and are displaced. I’ll spare you the grossness of his arm bending the wrong way, but here’s something to give you an idea of what his arm looked like:
This happened about 4:00 p.m., and by 8:00 he was heading in for surgery to straighten and pin the bones. We all drove in one car to the hospital, but I still had another son who wasn’t broken and who needed to go home because he had school tomorrow. The Most Wonderful Sister-in-Law came to our rescue. She brought in “Puppy” (his brother gave him Puppy when he was about 2) and picked up The Best Husband Ever and my unbroken son to take them home. I stayed in the room and waited for Ahren to come back from surgery. He returned groggy and the manner-filled little boy all moms hope their sons are when they’re not around.
Groggy Ahren and Puppy.
I spent the night with him to help him when he had to pee, or to make sure his arm stayed propped up, or, honestly, just to look at him to make sure he really was ok (he was). As I laid there on the pull out couch/bed they have in the room I thought about all the other parents who have laid on that bed – worrying about their children, some of them infants or toddlers who were sick or broken in ways that were much more serious. I thought about how many nights of tossing and turning that couch has endured. It made me feel grateful that Ahren only had a broken arm, and would be better with a little surgical intervention and the passage of time. And so this week’s inspiration found me – how to be grateful in difficult times.
It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well, but when things are bad it’s harder to remind ourselves to be grateful. Let’s talk about 3 ways that will help us to be grateful even when times are difficult.
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2. Remember the bad. This probably isn’t the only bad thing that has happened to you. Remember another time something bad happened and remember that you are here, now, and you made it through. Breathe.
3. Look around you. When we’re in a tough situation it’s easy to focus only on that bad thing that is happening to us. Take a moment and look around at people and situations that surround you. Acknowledge the nurse who took an extra moment to adjust your son’s pillows so that his arm was not only elevated, but more comfortable. Appreciate that there actually is a small couch/bed in the room to “sleep” on during the night. See that there are people and things in your day that are not bad, and allow yourself to be grateful for the small kindnesses that are present.
So this week, my reader, I encourage you to practice gratitude. Be aware of others around you and their kindness or their struggles, and remind yourself to be grateful.
This week I’m grateful for the love of The Best Husband Ever, the support of My Wonderful Sister-in-Law, the doctor who reassured not only my injured son, but his worried big brother as well; the anesthesiologist who is funny and kind and makes sure a scared little boy is soothed even before he puts him to sleep; and for nurses who take the extra moment to make sure their patients and worried moms are as comfortable as possible.
Oh, and for having my Healing Son sit with me at the table doing homework while I write and look at my garden. Life is pretty ok.
I love the colors in my garden. Oh, and the Lone Tomato. She’s pretty cool.
My thoughts are my own, but my pictures are generally found on Pinterest (you can find anything there!). If you like what I write, please share with your friends or someone you think would like it! I’d love it if you follow me on Facebook (Melissa Gale), Instagram (write2unpack), or Twitter (@write2unpack). If you have any topics you think I should talk about, reach out to me at write2unpack@gmail.com. Oh, hey, and if you sign up here to follow me you’ll never miss a post!