Update:
After working at UPS and
getting up between 1-2 a.m., I hate alarms.
I want to sleep until I wake up naturally. I’ll put up with an alarm a few days a year
for deer or turkey hunting; but who really sleeps before opening day
anyway. Now to mesh with my wife’s
schedule, my alarm is set to 4:30 a.m. every morning. Before I never would have agreed to it; but
I’m glad to spend that hour and a half with my wife before she goes to work—and
she cooks me breakfast every morning!
If you come into my bathroom, you might wonder why the
hamburger flipper from my BBQ grill is in there.
My bathroom is small enough I have to back in to turn the light on, then
go out into the kitchen to turn around to go straight in to get to the
toilet. Now I can go straight in and reach
the light switch with the flipper. And
an added bonus, when I forget to flush and am already in the wheelchair, I
don’t have to get back up—I can reach the handle with the flipper. Necessity is the mother of invention!
I was sweating the bed and having my bedclothes and the
blankets, mattress pad, etc. changed once a night; however, for the last three nights I haven’t done that
(I did have to change my shirt one night).
That is so nice!
I started checking out on the internet about prosthetics,
how they are made and fitted. I’ll have
to say that it was rather sobering how much work I have ahead of me. It took me about an hour to re-center myself
and shout, “Forward!” I am getting
stronger every day and look forward to life, so bring it on!!! I found out that “stump” is considered a bit
vulgar. The PC word is “residual
limb.” Well, residual limb sounds stupid
to me. So call me “stumpy.” Some people have worried about being
sensitive around me not to say certain things.
Me, sensitive? Ha! Ha! I find humor in many things, including my
amputation. My daughter-in-law was
making cookies and found a gingerbread man with a broken off leg and said,
“Look it’s Steve!” Others thought it
might be offensive. I found it
hilarious! I have never liked gingerbread,
but a gingerbread man with a short stub on the left side is my new favorite
cookie mascot! Around the police and
fire department, I’m usually called, “Padre” or “Chaplain” now I figure I’m
going to be called, “Stumpy.” That’s
fine with me. In my thoughts, I think it
will be fun to be cut off in traffic and I’ll be able to take off my prosthesis
and shake my foot out the window at the guy at the next light. That will show him! I laugh thinking about how the guy will
look. Seriously, my police officer
friends don’t have to worry about me doing that—there is probably a state
statute that I would violate, and with my luck I would drop my leg on the
roadway. How would I ever explain that
to my wife, “Honey, I need a new leg…”
Thought of the Day:
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of
many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.”
How can I be joyful
over an amputation? Because through it
God has answered several prayers that I had.
I’ve been wanting to spend more time with my wife and my adult kids. I got that!
I had gotten into a bit of a rut with my relationship with God and I
wanted something deeper, more real, more meaningful. I got that!
I always want to point people to Jesus and encourage them to take steps
of faith as they draw closer to Him.
That is one of the reasons for these updates—hopefully I can encourage
you as you see my struggle. So I have
that opportunity now. I got that!
For what I have gained, I would NEVER trade it away to
get my foot back even if it were possible. I’ve got the joy that James talks about. Now I need to keep on keeping on and gain
that perseverance he speaks of.
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