Update:
I was really tired on Wednesday morning and was glad that I could get a
little more sleep and then take care of things at home because I didn’t have
any morning appointments. I decided to get
my clothes ironed for the week and then did my floor exercises. I had just increased the weight I was lifting
so it was more of a challenge—but it felt good.
After I showered I headed to church for the rest of the day.
Wednesday afternoon our church held one of our more popular
fundraisers—the Burger Blast. We had a
great turnout and the food was yummy! My
thanks to Deb, Michelle, Randy and everyone who helped pull this off; I know
that they all worked hard. Great job! Kent & Andy did a great job grilling the
burgers—once again, it was strange for me not to do the grilling after doing it
for so many years (I think for over 15 years—usually twice each year). Being wheelchair-bound I really couldn’t help
anywhere else because I didn’t fit (tables too close together, etc.). I don’t like merely being a spectator—I like
to be involved!
Mentally I am almost at peace with the fact that I am wheelchair bound
for the next week or so. I keep bumping
up against things that I won’t be able to do because I’m not currently
walking. My! How easy it is to take that ability for
granted and how hard it is to lose it!
Thought for the Day:
I follow a couple of amputee groups on-line and it struck me how
wonderful I have had it with the support of a full medical team. With the questions and comments made by some
in the group it is obvious they don’t have the prosthetist, physiatrist, and
physical therapy team that I have—instead they are groping along blindly trying
to gather information and make their prosthesis work all on their own. I am so very grateful because there is so
much to learn and so many pieces have to fit perfectly together, it would be
overwhelming to try to figure it all out by myself.
The other thing that I gain from following the group on-line is
encouragement. I am wowed by what I see others
are accomplishing; I am challenged to constantly stretch beyond my current
limits and keep attempting more. And I
gain a sense of thankfulness as I understand how good I have it. I’ve got the support of a loving wife and
family, my church (as family and my job), and many, many friends. Comparatively my physical condition and
limitations really aren’t that severe. I
truly am blessed! I admit that on some
days I need constant reminders of that fact because my attitude slips; but
thankfully those times are few and far between.
When I was in Boy Scouts, we used a lot of rope. To save money and to gain a skill, we made
our own rope from twine. We built a
simple tool to allow us to take three separate pieces of twine and form the
rope. It is amazing how quickly the
strength of the twine alone multiples as additional strands are added. A single strand of twine has good holding
power but it is prone to pull apart; but combining it with other twine seems to
change its nature. Its load bearing capacity
drastically increases; it becomes more useful and more durable.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two
are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help
him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep
warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three
strands is not quickly broken.”
We are stronger and
more resilient when we join forces with others.
Find a partner. Form a team. Build a community. Whatever you face will be accomplished more
easily if you aren’t alone.
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