Learning to Wait

We were ready to go to the hospital Monday for John's surgery for a benign stomach tumor when we got a call that it was postponed because the surgeon wasn't feeling 100%. Personally, I'm glad he doesn't do surgery unless he's feeling perfect but it threw us into a waiting mode that was uncomfortable. We knew we had a date for the 16th at the latest, but he was trying to find an earlier time. Then we got a call that it would be tomorrow, Friday, with a new doctor. We looked him up online and were satisfied that his credentials looked good and we liked the looks of his photo.

Got up this morning, had our oatmeal and smoothie and prepared for the day. When I went to make a phone call I heard a beep that let me know someone had called last night during our walk; I hadn't checked the voicemail. It was a nurse from Kaiser telling us to come in at 11:30 today for surgery! After a number of phone calls we learned that the surgery is, indeed, tomorrow. So now we're back to having a relaxed day.

Also yesterday our grandson was going in for a new round of chemo for his lymphoma. We got a call from his dad last night that his blood count was down and instead of chemo, he'll be getting a transfusion today. We saw him on Sunday and it's difficult to believe he needed this because he was having light saber fights with his brother and jumping around like the energetic 5-year-old he was before this journey began. It's not unexpected for him to need a transfusion and it just means a slight delay in the chemo.

We're getting a big lesson in waiting. Surrendering to what is instead of what we want it to be. While I wait during the surgery, I'll be distracting myself with knitting a scarf, a book called The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a book of Sudoku that my friend, Marion, gave me. And sometimes just being present with what's going on in my body. And breathing and trusting.

A haiku: Simply Trust: Don't the Leaves Flutter Down Just Like That.