15 Years

It was 15 years ago today that my life was threatened by a perforated intestine. I generally don't think about it much, not that I was tramatized by it, but it ending up being a very positive turning point in my life. I think my family and friends would agree, that generally speaking, everyone else around me was more traumatized by what was going on than I was. My mother still can't talk about it.

I probably would have let the day pass without marking it, if not for what was going on with David. There are many things we can all learn drom David, and the way he handles adversity. The most obvious lesson, is never to take your health for granted. I genreally do not, but there are times when I do forget what my life was like before I had surgery. The second thing is to thank G-d for my continued good health. How many of us said two months ago, why did this have to happen to David, what did he do deserve this, where is the justice in the world? It is very natural to blame G-d when something bad happens to you or someone close to you. Even though we are sometimes quick to question G-d, we sometimes take a lot longer to thank G-d for seeing us through s very difficult time in our lives. If we are lucky, we may be able to see how something bad that happened, ending up serving a greater purpose in the long run. I often think of David’s first bout with cancer and how that changed him into the man he is today, and the wonderful husband and father he has become. This is not to say that he wouldn’t have been wonderful if had not had cancer, but it certainly gave him an extra devotion to his family that I can only hope to aspire to.

The last thing I learned from David is that it is important to appreciate one’s health. It is one thing not to take your health for granted, but quite another to actually appreciate it. I never had recovery parties or celebrated the fact that I did recover. Maybe I should have. I originally thought that David’s recovery/superbowl parties were overdoing it a bit, but I realize now how wrong I was. Each year David celebrated his health, and shared that celebration with those closes to him. We all joked about it at one point or anther, but now I think we all have a new appreciation of just how special those parties were. We started taking the parties for granted, but not David.
So this Superbowl Sunday, I thank G-d for my recovery. I thank G-d for 15 years of good health, and G-d willing many more years of continued good health. I thank G-d for taking a huge step in returning my brother David to good health. More than anything though, I thank G-d for the strength to get me through my illness and the strength to help me help those closest to me get through their most difficult moments in life.

So, as you watch the Superbowl, take a second to appreciate everything you have, and not to take life for granted. I will have my own little Superbowl party with Jonny, and together, we will have our own little celebration.