As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. -- Isaiah 55:10-11

Monday, January 19, 2009

Gratitude 13--Cracked Pots and Not So Purple Toes

I am so incredibly blessed. Not only did I get some nice comments on the post about "Cracked Pots", but I received some nice emails. And obviously, I got a lot of prayer offered up on my behalf.

When our neighbor, the nurse, was here yesterday, she pretty much confirmed what I thought. There was a lot of damage done. She figured it would be three or four days before I could walk, and it would be next week before a shoe was an option. All of us were concerned about how I would sleep last night. In fact, there was the pondering of a trip to the ER just for the good painkillers. It was...concerning.

Well, we had a horrendous jolt yesterday when we found out the son of friends had been in a wreck and was in serious condition. Last night I sat up, prayed, and waited for an update. At midnight, the phone call came saying Tyler is stable (still in desperate need of prayer, though), and I fell asleep thanking the Lord for His mercy.

At 2:30 this morning, the dogs needed outside. I let them out, let them in, and went right back to sleep.

At 4:30 A.M. I bumped my toe on the couch. A bit painful. It occurred to me then that despite the severity of the injury, I had not needed painkillers at all. I took some ibuprofen and slept till 8:30 when the phone rang and woke me up. It was a dear friend who was calling to check on me since she was sure I had slept little. She was going to be the reinforcements, which I didn't need.

I showered, wrapped my toe in gauze, put on a sock, and could even put on a shoe. Walking was not an option, so I ditched the shoe, did a few loads of laundry, drove to meet friends for breakfast (propped my foot up on a chair while we ate and visited), drove home, taught school, and did a few other chores.

There have been a few moments of discomfort, but for the most part, it has been an easy day.

Right now, my foot is propped up because it is sore, but the color is amazingly normal. If I walk slowly, I can walk without a limp.

Thank you all for your prayers. The Lord has heard and responded.

God has been very, very gracious.

And for all the different ways He has shown that in the last 36 hours--both to us and to friends who love--I am deeply grateful.

3 comments:

Robin said...

I know this doesn't apply, but I know you are a prayer warrior and so are your readers...

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST -My brother, Robert is very congested and saw a doctor earlier (officially yesterday afternoon). The doctor wasn't concerned so much about his sore throat, but most concerned about his heart rate it was almost 200 while he was just sitting in the office. The doctor told him he needed to admit to the hospital ASAP, but he said no because he doesn't have health insurance - so he left the office with RX for antibiotics. He called me about 20 minutes ago asking what to do because his heart felt like it's beating out of his chest - I told him he needs to follow his doctor's advice and get to the hospital. I asked him if he needed me to call an ambulance and he said NO... he's on his way to a hospital in TX, but I don't know which one... Please pray!

natmer said...

Jerri,

Thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement! They really meant a lot to me.

I am so sorry to hear about your toe! But I am also thankful that God has used this time to allow you to grow closer to Him and bask in some more of his amazing wisdom. It's incredible how he works, isn't it?!

I can see why you don't put your children in public schools. They really can be vicious. It's heartbreaking to know about some of the troubles these teenages face on a daily basis, and, unfortunately, many of them don't have very strong support systems at home. I was shocked to find out how many of my students hate their families or have no families at all. It really makes me realize just how blessed I was growing up, even if I didn't always see it that way.

I will continue to pray for you and your family, and I will definitely pray for fast healing for your toe. Please give all my best to the family!

Robin said...

Update

Update - I talked to my brother on Wednesday night and he sounded so horrible (sore throat) that I decided to let him rest for a few days before trying to talk again. Well, he called me this evening to let me know that he had been life flighted to the hospital when his heart stopped. I guess it stopped three times. He was taking Mucinex and some other RX medications that didn't work well together. He does not have health insurance. Please continue to pray for him.