Convalescing
In a novel I recently read, one of the characters visited someone in a Convalescent Home. Convalescing is a word that we don’t use often anymore. We often talk about rehabilitation, nursing care, or recovery, but seldom do we say “convalescing.” But I’d like to reclaim it. It’s a lovely word.
“Convalesce” names the process of recovery or healing after an illness, injury, or surgery. It’s also wonderful to say. There’s almost a sort of onomatopoeia character to it with the calming, easy way it sounds as it’s spoken. But the roots of this word teach us something about what it means to heal. It’s a word built from Latin roots, from con (with, altogether, beside or near) + valēscere (“to become strong” -like valor or prevail).
The word means to “to become strong together”, or “to gain strength with, or beside, or near.” This word and its etymology remind us something essential about our faith and about healing of any kind. We can’t do it alone. We need other people to become stronger, to heal, to recover. This is, of course, obvious for anyone who has depended on the compassion of nurses to treat a wound or the skills of a physical therapist to walk after a knee replacement. But it’s also the phone call from a friend, the quiet presence through a long afternoon, the prayers of a community that surround us.
The reality of our convalescing isn’t just about bodily healing, but we “become strong together” as we heal from the invisible wounds and pains. It comes to us in companions who stick with us through long journeys of grief, making space for tears and stories and remembering; people who get the complex nature of rebuilding a life after divorces; others who can help us as we try to reconcile broken relationships. We can’t prevail alone, but only with others.
This is our particular invitation as people of faith. As followers of Jesus (this Savior of ours who came close to heal and redeem humanity), we can take the lead from those CNAs who tenderly care for those in nursing homes or occupational therapists who ensure that someone can get up the stairs to bed – experts in convalescing. Our task is to be there for people who are regaining strength, finding their way to wholeness, and remind them that they are not alone. Our faith also moves us to the vulnerable place of asking for help, or leaning on others, and opening our hearts to the goodness and care people show.
We are all, in various ways and different seasons of our lives, getting stronger, becoming more whole. Jesus, our source of healing and wholeness, is with us always, and through him, we can be the kind of community that shows up for one another—convalescing, getting stronger, together.
Kristi Masterson
This is so beautiful!
Sheila Mesick
Thank you Sara, it’s good to hear your voice through the written word.