Fire & Covid (aka 2022)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame will not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

My last post was announcing my word for the year. Bloom

And while I have been choosing words of the year, rather than coming up with a list of resolutions, the truth is, I do make a few resolutions in my heart.

It was exactly one year ago today that I had surgery to get rid of a little bit of cancer. After the surgery, pathology told us that the cancer had spread a little too far to just leave it at surgery, so I spent the first half of 2021 undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. I am thrilled to say that as of December of 2021, there is no evidence of cancer in my body!

Recovering from the chemo and radiation has proved to be harder than I thought. For something that saves your life, it really does a number on you.

But I had high hopes for 2022. I was going to make intentional efforts to build my strength back up and become even stronger than before I started.

And 2022 started with a blast. Well, maybe more like smoldering. Flames were involved. Literal ones. On January 6th, our furnace caught fire. Smoke filled the house. Fire engines came. I think I counted 4 of them. My hero of a husband actually put out the flames before the first truck arrived, and even crawled through the house, filled with heavy smoke, to rescue 2 terrified cats.

We are so fortunate. The only real loss was our HVAC system. We have plenty of smoke damage, but clean up is going slow. Between Covid and shortages and staffing resources and issues, we are finding it difficult to get anything done.

So we are living in a house without heat. In January. In Oklahoma. Where the low tonight promises to be 19 degrees.

It’s fine. I’m fine. We are fine.

And then, just for an added bonus, this week Jim and I started to feel bad. Along with about 10,000 other people in the state who also tested positive for Covid.

So here we are. Sick. No heat. The smell of smoke permeating the air. Stains on the ceilings and walls. And it’s snowing.

It’s fine. I’m fine. We are fine.

But really, we are fine. More than fine. We are blessed. This house, even without a heater is solid and well insulated. It is not too cold. In fact, the thermostat puts us at a balmy 67 degrees in here, even as it snows and sleets outside. We have a ceiling and walls. And a roof for that matter. Our furniture may be stinky, but it is here and only needs to be cleaned. And then there is fact that we can even smell the smoke. Because Covid has not affected our sense of smell in any way.

Yeah, things could be better, but they certainly could be a lot worse.

Of course, I’ve lost momentum on my daily workout, and eating only healthy whole foods has turned into eating what is available and easy.

But I’m doing my best. That’s all any of us can do. And when I can, I will do better. And until then I’m not going to beat myself up over the chocolate chip cookie I had for breakfast. And more importantly, I’m not going to lose my resolve, my firm determination to do better. To be better.

My word of the year is bloom. And we know what it takes for a flower to bloom. Rain. Sometimes even storms. Yep, Check that. We have seen a storm or two this year alone. But it also takes fertilizer. And you know what is great fertilizer? Poop. Dung. Crap. There I said it. We have in the first 19 days of the year, faced quite a bit of crap.

I have the choice to wallow in it or to put it to good use. I will turn it into a fertilizer that will bring about the change I want. The bloom.

This I know. Even through all of this, God has been right with us. We are not alone. We are not overwhelmed and we are not burned. We are not consumed.

We are fine.