“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31
On Wednesday I went with my mom to her doctor’s appointment to learn more about what she should do about the osteoporosis in her right hip. We were all somewhat anxious because my mom loves to walk. She walks two miles a day which at age 85 is pretty incredible. And walking with her neighbor every day has really helped her get through the loneliness of the pandemic.
The doctor was fabulous. She told my mom she needed to take just one pill a week to help build up her calcium. Then she added,“Keep on walking, I’d hate to see what your hip would look like if you weren’t.” The walking was strengthening her hip and her spirit. We were all relieved that she could keep going.
My mom has always been one to keep on going. And her faith has been a big part of the way she has renewed her strength. She was widowed at age 48 after my dad died of lung cancer. For over 50 years she was an oncology nurse caring for him and so many others. I remember her putting bags of ice on my dad’s head while he was getting his chemotherapy so he might not lose his beautiful curly hair. I think it actually helped. And she did this for other patients too. Mom lived her faith by her care for people.
She was there for me and my sister-in-law too in our separate but eerily similar journeys with breast cancer. For both of us, our daughters were young when we went through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Those were hard days, but mom or nana as all our girls called her showed up. She was there to do the laundry, play, and cook. She helped to walk us through those times even though we were all very weary.
It has been said that faith is caught not taught. Thank you Mom for showing us how to wait for God in times of deep darkness. And thank you too for modeling how to keep on walking. May our Spirits and your hip never break.
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