Around us, with us, and, yes, even ourselves,
Move with hidden and unknown wounds.
The angst from emotions, aches, pains, and limitations
We strive to keep moving and pushing onward.
The past few years have had me recovering from an auto accident.
Two totaled vehicles. No hospital stays. Glad it wasn’t my fault.
But the physical strain on nerves, muscles, joints, and bones is real.
One little strain in the wrong place puts the entire body out of alignment.
New pains and issues arise.
Will anything return to normal?
Take my plantar fasciitis, which is a new one.
It showed up a year ago. Right foot. Awful pain.
The same foot that moves the car, as well as stops it,
And it showed up 19 months after the accident.
It sometimes takes me 10 minutes to stand and take my first step.
Expensive orthotics, physical therapy, shots, ice, and heat.
Nothing manages the hope of a return to normal.
Surgery. Next week. Up to three months of recovery.
I’ve been walking wounded for nearly three years.
It’s not been life-threatening, but it’s threatened my way of life.
I minimize travel, take into consideration my mobility,
I am constantly under the doctors’ care to keep challenging the wounds.
I’m walking wounded.
I’m not the only one. It’s far from over. We all struggle with wounds.
An assortment of physical, strain, mind, spirit, emotions, and attitude.
There is probably not one person in the world without some issue to handle.
It’s become apparent. Since 2019, I’ve watched the world through pained eyes.
Don’t stop handling your wounds.
To do so would admit defeat.
Treat the need with focused care.
Keep managing your life.
I asked AI to give me a slogan for “This Too Shall Pass.”
Then I asked for another one.
Then, and at last, I asked for a two-stanza poem that combined the two.
This next bit is from AI…the bolded words are what I asked about.
In every moment, strength does bloom,
Endurance rises, dispelling gloom.
Through trials faced, with steadfast grace,
We find our strength, our destined place.
Through every storm, we stand tall,
Though winds may rage, we won’t fall.
For in the tempest, hope shall amass,
Guiding us through, this too shall pass.
Brothers and sisters, I can’t consider myself a winner yet.
This is what I do:
I don’t look back, I lengthen my stride,
and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize
that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.
Whoever has a mature faith should think this way.
And if you think differently,
God will show you how to think.
However, we should be guided by what we have learned so far.
(Philippians 3:13-16 GW)