The Wisdom of Teeth

Every Sunday morning after Sunday School, one of the men of the church gets up & asks if there are any announcements or prayer requests from the congregation. I've mentioned in the past that we are a very small congregation. This becomes even more apparent during prayer request time. "So & So is in the nursing home." "Who's that?" "You know, she's ____'s sister. Used to teach grade school when we were little." "Oh you mean the one that lives in X's old house." "Yes, that's the one." There's also a bit of joking that goes on.



This morning Uncle E announced that he's having the staples removed from his shoulder on Thursday. Remember, he fell out of the cherry tree this summer & broke his ribs & collar bone? Well, the collar bone separated & there was muscle wedged between the ends of the bone. Two weeks ago he had it repaired & he's currently sporting 20 staples across his shoulder & collar bone. When he said that, Mr.M, who was leading prayer time, jokingly said, "Oh boy. That's gonna' hurt E. They just yank them out! That's what they did to my knee." Mr.M had his knee replaced last fall. Uncle E laughed & said, "Thanks for the encouragement!"



Then I announced that I was having my wisdom teeth taken out on Thursday. Mr.M said, "Oh! That's gonna' hurt too!" To which I replied, "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it!" A few minutes later, Gary, our preacher, got up to start his sermon. As he began, he mentioned the prayer requests saying, "Some are recovering from illnesses and surgery. Some are having staples taken out or wisdom teeth taken out. I could tell you a story about when I had mine out when I was 14." And I interrupted him (not something you can do in a large congregation) and said, "I don't want to hear it!" He laughed & said he'd save his story for next week.



After services Gary caught me in the back of the church & teased me about it a little more. I told him I've heard nothing but horror stories lately. Then he gave me a hug & laughed & said he was sorry. He did tell me his wisdom tooth was underneath another molar that was impacted, so it wasn't a normal extraction.



Last night I was laying in bed worrying about this (really, I have a one track mind) when I decided there's no sense in worrying. It won't change a thing. It will make me ill & anxious & angry all week. Who's that going to help? So I've decided instead to pray really specifically because it will serve a much better purpose than worrying.



If you'd like to pray along with me, this is what I'll be praying for:

• an easy removal of the teeth


• that I will be relaxed & deal with the procedure very well (I do not like to have anything done to my teeth & I have a horrible gag reflex)


• fast healing (no dry sockets, no major problems)


• minimal pain


• a peaceful recovery (including that my children will behave themselves for their Grammy so I can rest)


• that I won't loose any weight while my eating is restricted (I know, not your typical request, but it is a concern for me)


• that I won't have a lot of pain between now & Thursday (it's kind of a dull, small ache most of the time. Tylenol & Motrin are handling it most of the time)

And I'm endeavoring not to worry. AND I'll try to blog about something other than my wisdom teeth.

Image: www.goodbyewisdomteeth.com