Broken Bones
Have you ever had a broken bone?
Other than a little break in my pinky finger in 7th grade that I never had fixed because my gym teacher ASSURED my mom it was NOT broken… I’m experiencing the first broken bones of my life now at age 46.
Sitting in my two week follow up appointment yesterday looking at my X-rays with the doctor I asked, “can you tell from looking at these X-rays if I have strong bones?” He said, “with an X-ray, it’s hard to tell. If your bones have deteriorated greater than 50%, we would be able to see that on an X-ray. A DEXA scan is a more accurate reading of bone density. Based on these images, I am able to see that you do not have osteoporosis beyond 50% bone loss, but beyond that I cannot tell you.”
When my daughter was in elementary school, she broke both bones in her forearm falling off a bunk bed. I recall the doctor telling us that when those little bones healed, they would be stronger than they were before the accident. Today as those words came back to me, I got curious.
I tend to get curious about many things which I’m coming to believe is a spiritual gift. When we get curious about things in our physical world, I find that God will often pair those things we get curious about with spiritual realities.
Next time you get curious about something in your physical world, ask God if there is a spiritual reality He would like to open your eyes to.
So, here’s what I found out about broken bones: there is no consensus. A third of the articles I found said that your bones will indeed be stronger after healing from a break than before the break. A third propose that your bone will be more prone to breaking at the point of healing and the final third propose that there is no conclusive evidence for or against.
- 4 weeks later -
It’s been a month since I started this blog post and a lot has happened between there and here. My pinky finger still seems to be completely broken. When I take the brace off to put fresh tape on, the tip of the finger goes limp so I don’t think the bone ever started the healing process.
What I do know is that MY FAMILY is stronger than ever because of my broken bones.
Tonight I had both daughters, a bonus daughter who is living with us at least through the end of the year, my younger daughter’s boyfriend, my nephew-in-law, and my cousin’s son here hanging out before a young adults group at church. I made a big casserole dish of Mexican layered stuff…..I need to name these dishes, but everyone said it was the best thing ever!
I learned the art of “refrigerator casserole” and “refrigerator soup” from my grandma. Somehow she could take the weirdest odds and ends and make a wonderful dinner out of it. I think the secret is a bunch of cheese on top!
I’ve run from my home for all sorts of reasons for most of my life, mostly mental chaos and that mental chaos left me physically unable to sit still. These broken bones FORCED me to be present. I have spent seven weeks without turning the TV on once to entertain myself. I have slowly but surely created habits around caring for my home and myself. Best of all, I’ve been in one place so as these teens and young adults come in and out of the house, I’ve been present for priceless conversations with each of them and many others.
I’ll be doing life a little differently coming out of this season of physical brokenness. One thing I KNOW for sure is that these physical broken bones have strengthened the bones of my family and 10 out of 10, I would recommend….maybe not crashing your bike and breaking three bones, but allowing the troubles of this life to cause you to reflect, refine and redefine what you do and how you do it.
I can’t choose whether or not physical broken bones will heal and be stronger than before, but I certainly can choose to allow the inconveniences of life to make me and my family stronger.