‘Normal’
Life is so full of experiences from beginning to end. We live, we dance, we sing, we crumble; our bodies thrive, they evolve, they strengthen, they degenerate, and sometimes we can rebuild them again. Our hearts hurt and then they become mostly whole again. Life is what happens as you walk along the way. And sometimes we are blessed with a full life and sometimes we can’t see it that way.
For nearly three years, I experienced a normal that I pray you never experience. And yet even as I type these words, I know that I am so incredibly lucky. While my son Aryeh suffered incredible physical pain and emotional darkness, I was able to be there for him. I was able to hold him, massage his feet, and give him the intense love that hopefully helped his spirit. As a family, we found ways to enjoy life and to thrive even as we managed some intense challenges.
Sometimes our children experience normal viruses, broken limbs, or what I refer to as uneventful events. Moments in time that happen just because you are alive, just because you have a body and you live in society. Viruses happen, klutzy moments occur, and wisdom teeth often have to be removed from your mouth especially if you are blessed with your mother’s genetics. My mouth is so small that I had six teeth removed once my adult teeth grew in and then my wisdom teeth had to come out too.
Well Aryeh was blessed with having one of his first ‘normal’ health challenges. Today he had his wisdom teeth out. Most of you remember what it was like; it hurts and you feel rotten for a few days. After about a week, you barely suffer the effects of the experience. Hopefully that will be true for Aryeh. I am amazed at his ability to cope with the pain and to persevere. That doesn’t mean it is painless, but he is handling it.
Amazing - Aryeh is looking good even though his wisdom (teeth) are gone.
I love watching normal even though it isn’t feeling great for Aryeh. I love know that my son is now a thriving young man who is not bound by the torment of his earlier teenage years. While oral surgery is taking a bit out of life for the next couple of days, he is planning on seeing his friends in the coming days, keeping track on the news, and learning about Leonardo Da Vinci.
While life has brought us challenges, I am reminded of Debbie Friedman’s song, Mourning into Dancing, inspired by Palm 30.
May each of us be blessed with turning our Mourning into Dancing and finding light in whatever normal might look like for you
