Balance

Our family's 16-year-old puppy was involved in a bad accident last Friday afternoon- the result was a traumatic brain injury. We have worked hard over the past several days to help his recovery. I'm especially proud of my children, who have stepped up in big ways.

I'm happy to report that he can now get himself to his food bowl and water dish to eat and drink as he pleases. When we take him outside, he can empty his bladder and move his bowels as necessary without assistance. He's walking, sometimes even running.

But when he stands still, or walks slowly, he stumbles around like a drunken sailor on his first shore leave. I believe that part of the problem is neurological- that he's still trying to get his brain and his legs back on the same page. The other part of the problem is his hearing. His hearing was limited before- now it seems to be completely gone. I don't know if we can expect it to return- somehow I doubt it. In any case, I'm certain that part of his balance issues have to do with the fact that he can no longer hear. In humans, the inner ear helps to detect the position of the body with respect to gravity as well as the motion of the body. I'm not a vet, but I'm guessing it's similar in dogs.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul used various parts of the human body to illustrate the importance of the variety of gifts necessary in the Church, the body of Christ. The complexity of the human body (and other animals for that matter) never ceases to amaze me. For example, how the ears can impact one's sense of balance, which is mostly carried by the lower body. It's miraculous.

It's only been six days since the dog's accident, and I expect his recovery to continue over several more weeks, but I'll be interested to see how he learns to adjust and compensate for the losses he has suffered in order to keep living a productive life.

Sometimes life throws something at us that knocks us off balance. We may not possess the necessary resources to get us back on our feet. But thanks be to God, we have confidence that someone else does. And their commitment to the body often compels them to offer what they have in order to offset what we do not. We are connected to one another. We share each others' joy and sorrow. And by standing together, we find the solid footing that our body needs to keep going.