The Joy of “Normal”

When I interviewed Mary Roethler about her remarkable claim to fame—a kidney transplant recipient celebrating 42 healthy years compliments of her sister, Ruth—her zest for life burst through our phone connection.

All the normalcy she’d enjoyed since the age of fifteen (when she received her sister’s life-saving gift), seemed a miracle. Freedom from a dialysis machine. Shopping outings with her sister. Holidays with all the fixings. Birthdays with extra frosting. All the celebrations.

And all the people she loves to love. Her husband. Her grandchildren. Her great-grandchildren.

She doesn’t take any of it for granted, because these “normal” things wouldn’t have been possible without her renewed health.

Isn’t this the way we all should live? Celebrating and savoring the gift of being here. Mary’s story offers an important reminder: life’s uncertainty is a sure thing. But when we accept and manage that uncertainty, we can also find some joy.

You can read the article here.

Have a joyful day, friends!