A week ago I had my shoulder surgery.  They not only put me to sleep, they put my entire left arm to sleep and it did’t wake up for 2 days!  When I woke after the surgery, I was surprised to find my arm was totally numb, like a fake rubber arm.  I couldn’t feel a thing.  My hand flopped here and there from the end of my sling, with a mind of its own.  It was the most bizarre sensation–because there was no sensation.

I remembered the anesthesiologist explaining to me before the procedure, that they’re finding it’s better to deaden the area for a couple of days to let it heal, rather than pumping me full of pain meds.  I didn’t think much of it in the minute or so before I went under.  I expected my arm to just wake up when I did, but it didn’t.

During those next 2 days, I felt a little panicky.  What if my arm didn’t wake up??  What if they clipped a nerve or something went wrong?  What if my arm really was dead??

I learned in those hours just how valuable having two arms and two hands is.  I learned that some things just take two hands to do–like tearing off a piece of toilet paper, or putting a clip in my hair, putting on a sock, or holding a book and turning its pages.  I thought about all the things I love most to do–computer work and family history with a keyboard, quilting, using my phone to communicate or take pictures–all take two hands.

I started to pray my thanks to Heavenly Father for blessing me with two hands, still praying my left hand would wake up.  I became more and more aware of the need for two, the need for opposition in holding or picking up or grabbing something.  I became keenly aware of how often two hands work together to accomplish things.

By the second day, the tingling in my arm began and by midnight it worked its way down to my fingers–first my thumb, and then eventually all the way to the tip of my little finger.  My arm and hand came back to life.  Oh, how relieved I felt!

It takes two fingers to pick something up.  It takes two hands to do most jobs.  Fingers push against each other.  Hands grip and hold.  Opposition in our lives is a blessing.  It keeps us standing and fighting and working as we were intended.  Oh, how grateful I am for my two hands!