In February I received a phone call clear out of the blue.  I was told to report to the Hip and Knee Clinic in Calgary, that month, to receive my left hip replacement!  That sounds bad, major surgery and all that. But no… you see  I had struggled for two years with 24/7 pain in my left hip joint.  Eventually when 2006 rolled around I could hardly walk – after years of degeneration I was now dealing with “bone-on-bone” in my joint as the cartilage had completely gone. I had been informed that it would likely be  September/October of that year before I could expect to receive my new hip.  So when that phone call came, I was overjoyed, this was good!  The surgery went well; it was amazing that the dreadful pain I had lived with for two or more years was finally gone!  It was so good I told the surgeon that it was a gift from God, plus his tremendous surgical skills had contributed to the miracle, which of course, were also a gift from God.  There was one teeny, tiny setback though… while in hospital, they discovered I was suffering from Atrial Fibrillation. That caused quite a stir!

I had doctors coming from all four corners to my room plus a portable X-Ray machine and my Surgeon, in a panic in case I had manufactured a blood clot during procedure, which could now be barreling towards my lungs or brain!  To assuage his fear that this was not the case, he ordered a lung cat scan over at the Foothills Hospital. So evening found me on a gurney, riding in an ambulance accompanied by my favourite nurse, over to the big hospital and struggling to undergo the test. The trip back was somewhat ignominious!  Whereas on the way out, I had been treated like porcelain, nurtured with extreme care, now I was bunged in a utility wheelchair, left hanging around for transport in the freezing cold, driven in an old sitting car back to my cozy room at the clinic.  What a shemozzle! The result? No clots, but now I lived with the vagaries of Warfarin (Coumadin) and a beta blocker in the form of Digoxin for the rest of my life.  Not good.

Once discharged, I was treated to some pretty intense Kinesiology therapy, courtesy of Alberta Health.  By the end of the course I could walk normally again and skip up and down stairs!  Well, maybe “skip” is overstating it a bit. But all was good!

One sunny day towards the end of April I sallied forth in my “Subaru Outback” to drive myself to the shops, for the first time since before my operation.  This felt sooo good.  Behind me I had left my hubby on our high-rise deck, happily removing the hand rails and spindles of the railings that went around the edge of the deck which  prevented anyone from staggering and falling off. The deck was about 10’ high from the ground and was accessed through the  kitchen.  We lived in one of those bungalows that are built into the side of a hill – with the result that the kitchen at the back, ends up above ground, but the front of the home is at ground level!  We were in the process of replacing the handrails with a screen room, the finished job can be seen in this photo. 

"NO!” I screamed, “I’ll call for an ambulance!”.  I ran in and dialled 911 but was so panicked I wasn’t making sense for the operator.  Luckily, my neighbour’s wife, Audrey, at that moment appeared and took over the phone call. Then, the only phone number that came to mind was that of our Pastor from St. Peter’s Lutheran, Norm; he was at our house within minutes and brought his wife, Ruth.  He followed the ambulance to emergency to be with Don.  Ruth stayed to take care of me and drive me to the hospital -  after she had administered a hot cup of tea and food, for shock she said.

Several hours later found me listening to the doctor who was treating Don. She told me that he had been very lucky!  He hadn’t damaged his spinal cord; he hadn’t damaged his brain; but, he had broken seven vertebrae, cracked several ribs, plus he had a faint crack in his skull and maybe nerve damage in his ear. He would need 6 months at least, to heal.  This really was good; in fact he was blessed as he could have ended up a paraplegic or had brain damage to the point of being a vegetable for the rest of his life – he could even have died!  The pain in his back was excruciating and he was heavily drugged for several days.  It was many weeks before he was healed enough to come home. He still had to wear the back brace and lived on Tylenol but by fall, when it was all over, he was approximately 95% recovered.  The whole nightmare a mix of good and bad. 

During the early days after his accident, he had a visit from our new Pastor, Rick Berg and his wife, Pam. Pam was a lovely, sweet lady who was battling courageously with cancer.  I won’t write about her many struggles but suffice to say that she had been through the mill, both ways!  What is important is the gift she brought for Don.  A talisman; a beautifully carved, small wooden cross; smooth as silk and just big enough to fit in the palm of a hand and allow the fingers to wrap around the figurine. Then it could be felt and rubbed like the rosary or prayer beads. Pam said it had been given to her during the most difficult, painful time of her illness and she said it had brought her much comfort. Holding it for long periods helped her focus on her faith, she felt that Jesus was with her; helping her to cope with pain and desperation.  She now wanted Don to have the wonderful belief that God and the Holy Spirit would be with him during his struggles; she was sure he would gain comfort.  Later he told me that it was amazing, each time he held the cross, he felt a warmth emanating from it and an assurance that God was indeed by his side, giving him strength and the confidence that he would recover.

On May 2^nd of that year, right in the middle of all our woes, our grandson, Samuel,  put in his appearance on this earth!  We were both overjoyed.  This was good, plus during that summer we both got to see Sam; to hold him, love him, it was medicine for our bruised spirits. I flew down in August and Don, unbelievably, drove all the way to Boulder and back in September!!

In 2008 we left Alberta to move to Vancouver Island, but before doing so, Don returned the cross to Pam.  She was losing her battle with the cancer and was almost down to skin and bone  When he gave it to her, she took it avidly and held it to her heart!  He said her need was now much greater than his. The effect this gesture had on her was good to see.

This gift and its effect on Don and Pam made me start to think about the effect that the sign of the cross has on all Christians and maybe many non-Christians too.

A powerful emotion can pass through us, just to see its likeness on top of a bell tower or on a wall; or hanging from a chain around someone’s neck or simply glimpsed through the trees, like this one  I spotted while touring in Portugal.

I was feeling low.  Pastor Steve visited me while I was in hospital and talking with him perked me up a little and gave me hope. Soon after that I was discharged and Pastor Steve came to the house to administer Holy Communion. But first he started to slowly unwrap what appeared to be a small object, while saying he had brought me something he hoped would bring me comfort.  When the wrapping came off, I saw  it was a small hand-size wooden cross – exactly the same as Pam’s!  I was astonished and Pastor was puzzled so I quickly told him Pam’s story, of her wooden cross and its profound effect on both she and Don. How I had seen, that holding this talisman could bring an awareness that God was present, bringing conviction and peace.  I found it extraordinary that he had the  very same cross and had thought to give it to me, little knowing how much it already meant to me.  This did not strike me as a coincidence; this was God working in my life again, to reassure me that he was with me and cared about me.  A week or so later found me back in hospital again, fighting to breathe which was making it impossible to sleep. I was disheartened and worried but at least I had my little wooden cross with me and many times I would hold it tight and pray: “Please God, help me. Be with me Lord”.  I knew he was there and so again, was power of the cross.