Use Your Noodle

This past week I held a funeral service for someone who was associated with the church that I pastor. She wasn’t a member, but she and her husband would visit in a worship service once a year or so. She was a very nice person and had fought a disease bravely for many years. Her husband asked if I would be willing to have the memorial service in our church auditorium, along with a time of fellowship with family and friends afterward in our dining hall.

It seems like a strange statement to make as I prepare to type it, but the truth is that funeral services involve a lot of work. Family members have to put forth a great deal of thought and effort in order to plan and implement every detail involved. As a pastor I always attempt to accommodate every need according to the things that family members express. In this case, there was a need to prepare the church auditorium (usually easier to achieve, but we were trying to get things ready for Easter Sunday services this week). Also, there was a need to prepare the dining hall, with the various table settings, food preparations, and sentimental decorations desired by the family. I couldn’t just stand by and allow others to do all of the work, so I jumped in and helped over a couple of days of preparation within the two buildings. The cleanup work after the memorial service involved an equal amount of effort, and I helped family members and friends to clean the two buildings in order to get everything ready for the Easter services being held tomorrow. Almost none of the folks in attendance were members of my church, but they all worked as though they were and did a great job in getting things back to the way they were before the memorial service. Through it all I helped in whatever way was necessary. I really hate to sit back and do nothing while others work. Helping hands, right?

My problem involved the day after. I had labored for a couple of days between setup and cleanup. On the day of the memorial service I logged over nine miles on my Fitbit. Yesterday was “the day after”, and I felt my body’s vengeance all day. My leg was a mess and caused pain throughout the day (yeah, the one that feels like a combination of brittle sticks improperly aligned together). My one arm (compound fracture, nerve damage, blah, blah, blah) was also in pain. Additionally, I felt as though I hadn’t slept for days. I felt so fatigued that I spent yesterday doing things on purpose so that I wouldn’t fall asleep and ruin my ability to sleep through the coming night. Kind of a mess, but still emulating a Timex watch (the older you are, the more you’ll get the reference).

This past Wednesday evening I had a church member chide me a little for carrying a ladder and changing a light bulb in the church auditorium ceiling after the evening worship service. I brushed her off lightheartedly as she told me that I shouldn’t be doing such things in my condition, which doesn’t involve the cliché of pregnancy, in case you’re wondering. The thing is that she was right to an extent. I tend to go beyond certain limits and…then I pay the price. I did a little more than I should have for the funeral service, and I paid all day yesterday, and even a little this morning as I type this blog entry. It will all go away by tomorrow, but I really need to always keep in mind that things are not the same as they were before the accident. I should remember to treat my body differently. Life involves a balance between desire, determination, and caution. Yeah, can’t leave out the caution.