Stones

When you tell people your husband has a kidney stone, you get two comments.
1. It's like having a baby
2. This too shall pass

It took a while to find a woman who had actually been all the way through labor and had a kidney stone to confirm the first assertion. Having men say so is all hypothetical. When it was all over, Roger asked me if his pain over the last week equaled the pain I experienced in birthing all four of our children.

I wasn't excited to concede that point. After all, are we counting the hours of labor, or the nine months of each pregnancy? In sheer pain, he wins. On Monday with two pain pills he was writhing on the floor.

As for the second assertion, this too did not pass. The doctor had to go in there and get that baby out of there. Less intrusive than a c-section thankfully. After a week of laboring to pass a stone that was already almost delivered, it seemed to be stuck. Not anymore.

I find the comparison idea humorous. It's as if men are tired of women holding childbirth suffering over their heads and are struggling to make up ground. I'll just concede the point, not having been through stones personally even. Whatever labor is like you still get an amazing blessing to show for it, instead of a follow up with a urologist and a change in diet.

As for the "this too shall pass," that's true of everything eventually, but not very consoling. At times people need to be reminded their struggles will end. But mostly they just need to be listened to.

We are grateful for many listeners this week, by email, Facebook, text and phone, many friends have prayed and inquired and supported. Thanks.