Joanna Gaines is recovering at home after an unanticipated back operation.

In order to treat a severe back condition, the 44-year-old Magnolia Network star announced on Thursday that she had undergone surgery barely two weeks before. She shared a candid photo of herself giving the peace sign while lying in bed in the hospital, followed by a cuddle with her 4-year-old son Crew on Instagram.

“I hurt my back in high school cheering, basically a basket toss turned into back injury and I’ve been dealing with it ever since,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post.

She underwent a microdiscectomy procedure shortly after she started dating her husband Chip in 2001, necessitating the postponement of their second date. She claimed that she had the same surgery done “two weeks earlier on another disc.”

The timing of everything with the holiday season was a little worrisome since, as I’ve always jokingly claimed, my back tends to act up at the most inconvenient times.

Joanna, though, is looking at the positive aspects of her comeback.

Sincere appreciation the break amid the busiest time of the year. It has been a blessing to sit still, observe the beauty of the environment around me, and do nothing, she reflected.

She closed the post by wishing her followers a happy holiday.

“Wishing you and yours a nice Christmas week,” she retorted. I hope that despite the possibility that things may not turn out exactly as you had imagined, you will be able to recognize the miracle of the present.

The Fixer Upper actress talked about how she learned to cherish spontaneity as she grew older on the cover of PEOPLE last month. One of those wonderful, chance meetings involves her son Crew and a moving story.

He said, “Mom, I need you to get on your stomach, on the ground, and look at what these ants are carrying,” while I was getting ready for work. Joanna, telling PEOPLE. I said, “Honey, I can see them from up here.

Joanna, who is married to Chip and has a son, Drake, 17, a daughter, Ella, 16, and a granddaughter, Emmie, 12, as well as sons, Duke, 14, and daughters, Ella, 16, and Crew, with him, decided to give the matter some more thought.

She continued, “When I’m lying on my stomach, I keep thinking, I’m too old for this. Then Chip shows up with the kids and starts honking, yelling, “Are you okay!?” Mom doesn’t typically behave that way, so everyone thought I had fallen.

That was “simple and foolish,” but Joanna was glad to have that time with her child. “I’ve come to realize that unexpected happenings can be quite happy. I’m glad I noticed that. She uttered.