Trudge Forth

Trudge forth was one of my mom's favorite sayings as I was growing up. I remember hearing her say those words frequently over the years, yet the words had slipped my mind until I read culturekitchen this morning.

In this blog, I have bemoaned my own crappy healthcare and while I do hate the fact that we now pay a much higher price for less service, I realize that I am lucky that we have some coverage. While any serious medical problem would surely leave us financially hurt, it would be far less devastating than if we had no insurance at all.

I grew up without health insurance. Mom made just enough money that she could not get a medical card for me or herself (now she would qualify), so we just made do. In our small town there were nice doctors that allowed her to make payments for visits. My pediatrician was one of those doctors, a good man that also treated my mom when she would bring me in - I laugh when I recall this now because I cannot imagine a doctor doing this today. My dentist let mom pay for my braces for years and years.

How hard all of this must have been for her, praying that nothing serious ever happened to us. Simply writing Blue Cross/Blue Shield on every medical form that came home from school for me to be able to go on trips, play sports, etc. all the while hoping that nothing ever actually happened to me.

I remember busting my chin open on the bathtub, she just put a band-aid on the wound and said "trudge forth". Then there was the time that I wrecked on a little motorcycle and my leg literally melted on to the bike. She rushed to me, carefully pulled my melted skin from the bike, and carried me up the driveway to the couch. This also was fixed with a band-aid. So, was the time that I somehow stabbed a pencil in to my hand breaking it off deep in the palm of my hand.

So, with the scars (and pencil lead) from childhood accidents, I trudge forth with a greater appreciation for my mom and all that she did to care for me the best way she could - with love and a band-aid.