I’m waiting for my husband to come out of surgery for a new knee—about two hours here, then another 2-3 hours in recovery, physical therapy, more waiting, and then hopefully we get to go home. I get him into our apartment, and get someone to stay with him while I go pick up prescriptions. Did this six weeks ago with the first knee. Then a week to ten days of active nursing. I’ll still be providing taxi service for weeks after that.

I’m delighted he’s getting new knees, and he will be delighted in about six months, or so we are told. Until then, our patterns of life and living together are all out of joint. “Change is my friend.”

“Change is my friend.” I will keep repeating that. I am the carrier of all thing (heavy or light). I make a chart of medicines, make sure they are taken properly, and mark them down until my patient’s able to keep track on his own (with my charts). I carry, provide food and drink, spend nights in the other recliner until he doesn’t need me during the night. And food—I cater to his very specific requests. And I do laundry, usually his bailiwick, and listen to his instructions with patient cheer (usually, well, sometimes). I put gas in the cars, empty the dishwasher, trash cans, and recyclables. It’s amazing all the stuff he takes care of that I never even give a second thought—it’s just done.

“Change is my friend.” Summers are always a season of change with kids around, summer jobs, HOT weather, and strange schedules. I have come to know that I like structure—when I can change it at will. Flexible structure is my happy place. Since we retired, I schedule my writing time. Get up, put on work clothes, and head to the coffee shop to write Monday through Friday for 4-6 hours. But not in summer. Grandkids are around a lot more, and that is one of my reasons for living. And this summer, John is getting new knees.

“Change is my friend.” It’s the attitude I am choosing, and I need to say it out loud often. This summer is one where “my stuff” isn’t in first place, but gets crammed into small blocks of time. And that has to be okay with me. My attitude has to focus on living for others and liking it at the same time.

I need God’s help for this. I am asking hourly for Jesus’ servant attitude to be mine as well. I focus on the people I love and why I love them. And I ask God to fill and refill my tank daily. And He does. So I can.

Change is my friend because I am a child of God.