Sep 10, 2023
Robert Burns penned the line "...the best-laid schemes of mice
and men can go awry" more than 225 years ago in his poem "To A
Mouse." The phrase seems appropriate for the constant changes to
the best of plans. John Steinbeck turned the term for his classic,
"Of Mice and Men," and the phrase in various forms permanently
resides in our cultural lexicon.
This is the phrase that came to mind over the last few days.
On Friday (Sept 8th), Gracie was scheduled for another serious back
operation (9 hours) in Denver. As we prepared to leave for the
airport in Montana - the surgeon's PA in Denver called and
said that a stress test Gracie had the week before showed something
concerning her heart. So we unpacked the car (we were leaving for
at least a month's stay in Denver), and the surgery is postponed
until she meets with a cardiologist (in two weeks).
This operation (her 86th) is to straighten her back another twenty
percent - so that she's less bent over (which is extremely painful
while also causing her to fall easily). Part of the reason Gracie's
had so many operations is the extensive work undertaken decades ago
to save her legs - but over time, it resulted in significant damage
to her back.
Gracie's life is hard - but she has "...strength for today and
bright hope for tomorrow."
In the meantime, I recall the adage, "Blessed are the flexible
...for they shall not be bent out of shape."