Post #14: Gratitude
August 6, 2026
8 Days Post Surgery
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
Psalm 138:1-3
It is 8 days post-surgery and this is the first day I have felt remotely able to write. Honestly, I am just now beginning to process it all. The surgery itself ended up being a little more than 7 hours. There were three surgeons involved and many other support staff in the room. They accomplished exactly what they had set out to do, and that was to find all the cancer in my body and remove it. It was tedious work. It wasn’t like a single tumor or mass that needed to be removed. There were small pieces on the wall of my abdomen and a plaque-like substance on my diaphragm that they chipped away on for a long time.
Two of the surgeons came to see me before the procedure and happily allowed me to pray over them. The main thing I remember praying was for the God who Sees to show them the way. And I have no doubt that He did just that.
Soon after that they gave me something in my IV to relax me so I don’t have a clear memory of this, but I was able to pray for the operating room and staff just as they rolled me in. I’m sure I fell asleep mid-prayer.
If you’ve ever stayed overnight in a hospital, you know how important it is to score a room with a window, even if there is a brick wall nearby on the other side. It is helpful to have a point of reference for things happening outside of that room. A window provides an opportunity to tell night from day, darkness from light. It reminds us that “normal” things are still happening outside of our room, our own situation.
Hospitals are busy these days so it took me 24 hours and three different rooms to finally land in my final one for the rest of my 5-night stay. But I was thankful to get my window. I needed to be reminded of the light.
The last 8 days have not been easy. In the words of my wise friend Jill, “it was a lot.” That’s really all that needs to be said about that.
I have had a number of people tell me that a positive attitude is key to getting through something like this. I have needed so much more than a positive attitude; I have needed a mindset of gratitude.
As I’m sure many of you do, my friend Mellie keeps a gratitude journal. Not every day but when she can she lists 3 or 4 things for which she is grateful. She has been doing this for a few years and is up to 760. She started recording mostly during valleys to remind her of all the good in her life. Recently, she started doing it a couple of days per week even on the good ones; she says it truly changes her focus completely.
Although I have never kept a formal journal for this purpose, I would like to think I have worked on that mindset in my daily living. Today I am thankful:
· That this surgery is behind me and was successful in every way;
· For the too-many-to-count, beautiful stitches holding my belly together;
· That I had loved ones to take me to and stay with me at the hospital;
· That I have a major cancer center in my city and did not have to travel far;
· That I am surrounded by a community of believers who pray – and specifically, lately have prayed mightily for me;
· For windows that remind me that life goes on even during tough times: my youngest son just got engaged, and I’m expecting my 4th grandchild any day. Praise the Lord!
The list is so much longer, but I will leave it there for now.
What are you grateful for today? Tell Him all about it.
PRAYER
Jesus, I am thankful that you are the Great Physician. Thank you, Lord, that when I called, you answered me and greatly emboldened me. Thank you for your love and mercy and grace. Thank you that you are our provider and redeemer and healer. All we need is You and we praise You for that. Amen.
A Song for Your Day: Gratitude and Praise (Psalm 150)
