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There is a ceramic rooster than sits on my patio with its wings spread and its head held high. Roosters are known for their strength, power and protection.

This rooster’s colors are those of a rainbow-blue, green, burgundy, yellow and orange.  It is a celebration of life displayed as a rooster.

I inherited it after my aunt and uncle passed away.  My cousin had asked me if there was anything I wanted of theirs.  When I told her I wanted the rooster she said “Really?  That’s what you want?”

To me that rooster had been a part of my childhood – having sat on every patio in every home my aunt and uncle have lived in.  From a huge estate in Lloyd Harbor, New York to a small Florida condo it represented all the wonderful times I spent with them and how, together, they navigated the ups and downs in their life.

It was in good shape with only a piece broken on its wing which my uncle had lovingly glued back together.  It has sat on my patio for the last twenty years.  However it didn’t fare so well during our last move with parts of its base cracking.  Each crack I had also lovingly glued the pieces back in place.

Like the rooster, I have parts that are physically broken.  The arches in my feet have collapsed from surgical scar tissue & arthritis that caused bones to protrude out.  This has created pain and can make me unsteady and wobble when I walk.  I don’t have the strength that I did and when I over exert myself – my body responds with arthritic pain all over.  I, like the rooster,  have survived a number of cracks in my body that have been glued and sewn back together.  Each time I recover somewhat – but perhaps not as well as I would like.

I sit on the patio each morning with the birds singing, with the lingering night’s coolness, and the Florida sun not quite up to heat the day.  My little doxie dog, Liesl runs around the yard in search of whatever might have gone on since her last inspection before settling on her favorite perch to take in her world. The rooster, from a distance and after a good rain, looks beautiful!  It invites me to revisit the memories of days gone by, to see the blessings that still are very much present in my life.  It lifts my spirit and makes me smile.

So I clean myself up, put the orthotics in my big, cloddy Velcro sneakers, spackle some war paint (make up), put on some bright colored feathers (clothing) and, like the rooster, spread my “wings” and hold my head up high.

Why?  Because I am a child of God and I know He loves me just the way I am.  He has been with me through every high and every low.  Jesus has known my pain first hand and through the Holy Spirit I am never alone in my journey.  Jeremiah 29:4-7 assures me that He has plans for me – not to harm me but to give me hope and a future.  I am reminded that like the blind man that Jesus heals in John 9:1-36;  the works of the Lord may be displayed in me though my medical mayhem.  Keeping His word close to me, I see God’s grace, mercy and plan for me.  This knowledge encourages me not to grouse and grumble through my troubles but embrace my circumstances to survive and even thrive.  It’s not easy, and I often succumb to Satan’s desire to make me feel like I am being punished when it couldn’t be further from the truth.  We are glorifying God as He washes us clean.

While I may have stitches, an aching and limping body; this keepsake rooster reminds me that without Jesus in my life there would be no bright colors and no life worth living at all.  So, like the rooster I will open my wings wide to be of service to others.  I will do my best to smile, color someone’s life bright, and shine the light of Christ where ever I go.

Will you join me?

Thank you for reading my post.  If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it.  Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!

I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts.  To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com

Blessings for Health & Wellness.