By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
It was just over 13 months ago that I filled this space with several excuses about why I was delaying my total knee replacement surgery. At the time, I had no idea that my health insurance company would finally approve the procedure only after we had exhausted all of the less expensive options for repair.
By the time you read this, I hopefully will have undergone a successful “arthroplasty” on my right knee and I will have awakened from my first ever experience with going under general anesthesia.
It’s important that I return to full mobility because, like me, my eight children and 18 grandchildren, plus other close relatives and friends, are still trying to recover from the loss of my incredible wife, Janet, last summer. We continue to share our tears, hugs, and smiles with each other as we attempt to move on with our lives.
I gained a new appreciation of friendship last month when about 80 friends and family members braved the Blizzard of 2022 to help me celebrate becoming an octogenarian.
And I’ve embarked on an exciting and challenging assignment to help Maysville Community and Technical College expand and energize its alumni organization. At 80, I’m telling folks that I’m still working part-time because my kids say I’ve flunked retirement three times.
In addition, one of my first cousins pointed out recently that I am now the patriarch of my mother’s family, and I am needed for advice and counsel and occasional good humor. Her use of the word “patriarch” was a surprise so I looked it up on dictionary.com to make sure I fit the bill.
Sure enough, somehow, I got to be the male head of my family line. Could It be another example of the Lord moving in mysterious ways?
I’ve only had that fancy title for about a month so I am hopeful that the Lord also will see fit to keeping me around a bit longer.
(Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com.)