Blessed and Horrified My Summer of OMG

Sometimes I get a major writer's block that I can't shake.  Probably because my life is a little too crazy to concentrate on any one thought.  Interestingly, I find solace in my previous writing pieces.  I am really good at this writing thing if I would take it more seriously.   Other people try to give me advice, but I take after my father who was incredibly stubborn, and I can only trust in the advice and thoughts I give out through my writing.  Sort of like a lecture to myself.  Here is an example of my crazy life.

This summer began in the usual way with our family braking out the tennis shoes and looking for local 5K races.  We try to participate in one or two a month and we enjoy traveling across the county for new locations. The VeloSano Bike for a Cure, sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, is a ride that raises money for cancer research.  My husband, a family physician at Cleveland Clinic South Russell, and I have participated in this event for three years.  This year was different.  On Mother's Day weekend we went on a practice uphill bike ride on Saturday and then walked a 5K on Sunday.  Mark just did not feel quite right. He seemed more fatigued than usual and took it upon himself to call his cardiologist to check himself out.  When he found out his test results he was not pleased.  He required more tests. After sharing the scary news with the family we went with him to the hospital where he had a cardiac catheterization. This is an outpatient test where a dye is injected and the small arteries of the heart are available to view to determine arterial blockage.  If the blockages are small enough a small piece of wire or a stent could be placed to keep an artery open.  Any larger blockage and bypass surgery is required. In his case there were blockages found that could be cleared up with a surgical bypass procedure. Most of our friends and family were shocked and horrified to find this happening to Mark.  I was too, but I counted it as a blessing.

After the surgery, Mark took up the challenge and the gift he was offered and immediately began the routine back to good health. He followed a healthy diet.  In fact, we all did.  He entered a cardiac rehab program which he still follows. He is more mindful of his work time and allows himself breaks when he feels he needs to stop.  Now, seven weeks later he looks and feels much better.  It's almost like being reborn.  I hope he maintains this new outlook on life.  One day he said that no food was worth have major heart surgery. I believe him.

My husband has two brothers. One younger who, gratefully, has no medical issues and one older who in an unfortunate coincidence, also required bypass surgery.  He recently came out of the hospital and is on his journey to finding a new zest for life.  Interestingly, neither parent had heart issues.

So what blessings are appropriate in this case.  About five years ago I wrote about the Shehecheyanu blessing. In this post I describe this prayer as sort of an all purpose prayer to use when something new or unusual occurs.  It doesn't have to be health related. There is a prayer called the Mi Sheberach prayer, this is specific to illness, and getting back to good health. In this prayer we ask G-d for strength in healing and spiritual strength to get us through this time of illness. It was funny, when we went to the synagogue we couldn't decide which prayer to say.  My husband was healing and returning to good health, yet he is still a work in progress.  Which prayer to say? The one for healing or for something new.  After a few minutes of discussion at the bimah in front of one hundred congregants waiting, we did what any group of Jews would do...we said them both.