Training with a Broken Leg

My first splint from the emergency room

See the beginning of the story at http://angel-memoriesforgotten.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-beginning-of-slower-pace-of-life.html

It is now 8:30am and I am leaving the hospital. I am still in no pain and ready to begin my day.  Unfortunately, my plan to go to church can no longer happen.  I am so sad.  :( I ask that we still go to Manhattan and the mall.  No one can believe I'm doing what I am with 6 breaks in my leg.  I have called my family and filled them in on this bump in the road.  They want to come and take care of me.  I tell them I'm in good hands and on my way to Manhattan anyway.  Besides, I intend to stay right where I am.  How can I continue functioning?  Well, it helps that my feeling in that leg is blunted.  I have no feeling in the bottom of my foot or in my toes.  Unfortunately, I do have some feeling in the part of my leg that is broken.  But, I have no pain at this moment.  That's what adrenaline will do for you.  It allows you to continue working even with an injury.  The pain won't show up until later.

We had a great time in Manhattan and a great day of testing at the mall.  Azure did amazing as always and even loved meeting kids and other people.  He is a kid magnet.  The only sadness and tears arrived when I realized my summer plans of water aerobics and using my water chair were over.  There would be no swimming for me.I managed to do great through training, supper, and waiting for my PCA to return for the night.  I took some Aleve and slept in the hospital bed with my foot elevated.  The pain didn't hit until the middle of the night.  But, I was determined to manage it with over-the-counter meds and not put any prescription pain meds in my body.  Good thing I had Aleve with me and the trainers could help out with Tylenol as needed.

That moment in time cemented my bond with Azure.  He has not wanted me out of his sight since then.  Leash or not, you will find him right beside me.  I'm not sure how he plans to keep that from happening again, but that seems to be his plan.  :)  It would help if he would brace for me, but we're still working on that.

I am thankful that I was where I was when I broke my leg.  The trainers were excellent about making sure my leg was elevated with ice on it whenever I could.  There was a hospital bed in my room, so I could sleep with it elevated.  When the pain arrived, they were always ready with Tylenol.  And, they put up with my emotions and Traumatic Brain Injury moments.  Thanks for being there for me.

I found myself in my room that night googling if it is possible to break a bone in the same place twice.  I thought if it wasn't, I might be safe and never break my leg again since I manged to do it so thoroughly this time.  Well, the sad news is I found out it is possible. :(  Difficult, but possible.  I was hoping I could say I would never have to go through this again.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

If you like reading my posts, please consider following me.  It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new

Thanksgiving for the day.
35.  LeadHer training so well thought out and orgainzed
36.  Opportunities to share what God is teaching me
37.  Creativity

Courageous Obedience

My devotion today came out of Acts 21:1-16.  It stirred up some amazing feelings in my heart and left met with some questions I'm hoping all of you can help me with.  The part that jumped out at me initially was Acts 21:13  "Why all this hysteria?  Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me  You're looking at this backward.  The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience.  Can't you see that?"  (Message) OR "Please, you're breaking my heart. I know exactly what I'm doing.  I'm fully prepared to be bound, and more--to die for the name of Jesus, the King"  (The Voice)  This is Paul speaking and my gut reaction was to want this kind of obedience, to follow the Lord no matter the consequences, and to do it without fear for myself.  This is basically what the footnotes in both Bibles talk about too.  The thought is that we should focus on what God wants us to do and not be influenced by peer pressure.

Then I reread Acts 21:4; "The Spirit moved them to tell Paul not to go on to Jerusalem'" (The Voice) and "Their message to Paul, from insight given by the Spirit, was 'Don't go to Jerusalem.'" (Message).  So how do we determine when we should follow what we believe to be what the Lord wants us to do and when to we listen to those around us who have heard from the Spirit.  How do we know what is right and what God wants us to do?

I would really love your thoughts on this today.

If you like reading my posts, please consider following me.  It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new

Thanksgiving for today:
28.  Finding my sister's book on Amazon
29.  Freedom of speech
30.  Seeking God's wisdom in finding an appropriate youth group for our daughter before she gets there
31.  Children feeling comfortable to share challenges with parents and accept help
32.  Adults at school that help the kiddos with challenges they face
33.  A pastor willing to help us struggle through life's challenges and find solutions
34.  My daughter finding clothes in my closet to wear for special events

Seeds of faith

"Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth."
--Susan L. Taylor


Thankfulness for the day;
22.  The peace that comes from crossing things off a list and meal planning in advance
23.  DVR
24.  Weather mild enough for "walking"
25.  A power chair that allows me to "walk" around town
26.  NuStep machine at the Wellness Center
27.  20 seconds of courage

Women of Faith--Celebrate What Matters!

I had the opportunity to attend Women of Faith in Kansas City last weekend.  It was amazing.  It reminded me an awful lot of my experiences at International Youth Convention.  That is the only other time I have ever been with thousands of people worshiping God.  And, Friday night, I thought it just might be as loud.  I had to leave the room during the music and listen in the hallway.  I decided at that moment that perhaps huge worship experiences were no longer in my future.  :(  The speakers were amazing, but the loudness of the music made it hard for me to fully worship.

Saturday was better.  I was able to stay in the room for the music.  The worship and speakers were so inspiring.  I felt so close to God and so inspired to bring what I learned home with me.  I've been to camps and conventions before and know the "high" has a tendency to ebb away and you soon lose the inspiration.  I hope that doesn't happen to me, but I'll have to be intentional to keep myself inspired and focused.  I was so inspired by Ann Voscamp and her speech about her book 1000 Gifts.  Keep watching for a book review when I finish reading it and join me in keeping track of my blessings.  I'm trying to find a way to share this information with those around me.

I also found myself inspired by the worship music and felt led to truly worship by the worship team.  I brought their CDs home with me and would love to recreate the experience for those here at home.  I'm not sure how to make that happen.  Any great ideas?  I've asked around for voice lessons here at home and we'll see.  My prayer is that either God will heal my voice or send our church a lead worshiper.  At least I can listen to music and worship privately again.  PTL!!!

The concert Saturday was AWESOME!!!  I have long enjoyed Selah and their song "You Raise Me Up" has been my theme song since the accident.  Who needs working legs when you are on His shoulders.  This concert experience was amazing.  Todd Smith's wife, Angie, was a huge part of the whole Women of Faith experience.  By the time the concert rolled around, I felt like I knew him and his family.  Besides the fact that their voices are amazing, we even got serenaded by some 80s music.  How fun is that!!!  They ended their concert with "You Raise Me Up" and had me in tears.  Hearing it LIVE is an experience I will never forget.

Azure did great at the conference.  I'm not sure he was in love with the loud music eitheron Friday night, so I'm sure he was glad that we left the room.  He did perfect and everyone loved him.  He only barked one time Friday night and I'm not sure what happened, but when I turned around a lady was standing there and said she must have scared him.  Anyway, he got a talking to and did great the rest of the time.  He did lay right at my feet in front of me for the rest of the convention.  It's interesting to see the reaction in a big city.  People know to approach slowly, speak directly to me, and ask permission before petting him.  I could tell they had been around service animals before.  :)

International Youth Convention could learn a few things from Women of Faith.   For one thing, there was no mad rush into the worship service with pushing and running.  We all had tickets and assigned seats.  Having assigned seats was wonderful and made you feel like you could leave and go to the bathroom or shop in the Sprint Center without worrying you would lose your seat.  We were able to experience worship fully.  :)

What worship convention experiences have you had?
How do you combat losing the worship "high"?
What have been your favorite concerts?

If you like reading my posts, please consider following me.  It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new

Thanksgiving for today:
18.  God is in control
19.  My children make decisions based on God's Word
20.  My entire family has Jesus in our hearts
21.  Kids excited about giving to others

A Voice in Our Future

I am so thankful to have a voice in the election process today.  Regardless of what other's think, I am still optimistic that my vote does matter.  I do believe in the importance of being a responsible voter and researching the candidates before making a final decision.  I don't believe in following friends or family members in how they vote.  I don't believe in letting others make this decision for me.  I do believe in being a responsible adult and researching the candidates for myself.  I do believe in voting based on who I best believe will follow God's plan for this nation.  I do believe that some things are more important than my selfish needs.  I do believe in voting for who I believe will follow God overall even if that means it may cause some personal difficulty for myself.  I do believe in respecting the president no matter the outcome.  Most of all I do believe that while we should respect our earthly leaders, the highest respect goes to God.  He is the One I will follow to the end, no matter what changes may happen on this earth.


How did you make the decision who to vote for?
What was your voting experience like?

If you like reading my posts, please consider following me.  It's an easy way to know when I've posted something new.

Thankful thoughts for the day:
9.  Friends who still think my brain has something to offer.
10. Crock pots
11. Freedom to vote my beliefs
12. Those who are willing to fight for our freedom
13.  My freedom in Christ that is unchangeable regardless of the changes in the world
14.  Finding books I want instantly on my Amazon Kindle--to buy or library loan
15.  The smell and taste of chunky applesauce with red hots in the crock pot
16.  That my dog will stay right with me leashed or not
17.  You can use Discover reward points on Amazon.

Thanksgiving Is Not Just a Holiday

I was so inspired by hearing Ann Voscamp at Women of Faith this weekend talk about the importance of thanksgiving and thanking God for all your blessings in life.  I am currently reading her book 1000 Gifts and am so inspired by it.  Stay tuned for a book review.  I am going to start something that couldn't wait another day.  I will be posting my blessings (hopefully daily).  :)  Sometimes they will be at the end of another post.  Sometimes, they will be the post of the day.  Join me on this journey.  Let's make thanksgiving a part of our daily lives.  :)

1.  The way God uses the gifts of talented musicians to speak to our hearts at just the right moment
2.  Those willing to be the hands and feet of Christ
3.  Perfect dog relief areas set up at our hotel this weekend
4.  Finding just the right Christmas concert outfits
5.  Kiddos running out to meet you when you come home from a trip
6.  Fall colors
7.  Finding the perfect jacket in just the right size
8.  The genuine laughter of a child that can't help but bring you joy as they experience joy