The Power of Gratitude

The greatest lesson I have learned lately is how being grateful can change my perspective. I have marveled at the way I now see events that have come into our lives. A great example is what before was viewed as a trial, a life interruption and a struggle, (namely dialysis three time a week), is now seen as a blessing.

A life preserving procedure, the transfer and cleansing of the blood from my husband's body and back again involves hours where he is connected to a large machine. It also means we spend lots of time traveling back and forth to the hospital and conversing with each other. I am learning more and more about the wonderful man I married and about myself too. We watch television and laugh and comment on what we see while he sits in the dialysis center's recliner.Sometimes I bring my Bible study and work on it while he doses off.

With gratitude came the humbling realization of God's great and faithful care all through my husband's medical journey. From Cancer to renal failure, to stent changes, heart and lung tests to multiple surgeries to put in a heart catheter and also to create a working fistula, our God has been so amazing in His care. In countless ways I can tell you about God's grace abounding in and for us.

Please allow me to explain a little about stents and fistulas, just so you know how fantastic God is when He works through modern medicine and doctors. The stent goes into my spouses' body at his stoma, the opening created to expel urine into a bag (urostomy). It then proceeds up into my husband's diversion, a fake bladder made from a section of the ileum or small intestine. This diversion connects to my husband's remaining kidney so that organ can drain. This stent is changed every seven weeks to keep it open. The fistula joins an artery and a vein which creates a site where the blood can be cycled out and in during dialysis. A working fistula means the heart catheter does not need to be used for this purpose. My hubby has had three heart catheters implanted, one became infected which was a real 911. Infection in a heart catheter has the potential to kill you! Using the heart cath lowers his blood pressure to a very danger level and stresses the heart, so we are so blessed when the fistula works well.

Further evidence of our gracious God at work is the fact that there was no need for the morphine pump or pain pills after my spouse's five hour cancer surgery where he lost his bladder, prostate and right kidney. He felt no pain despite a long, deep incision from his groin up to his right side. This fact indelibly impressed my mate of God's power and individual providence in his behalf. He loves to relate this fact in conversations with anyone who will listen.

So can you understand how looking at all of these events and struggles with a thankful heart can make it bearable and even more amazing, give joy because of the proof of God's love and care. I hope you will try a little gratitude. It humbles you, but it opens your eyes too. God's blessings to you friends. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God concerning you! DB