My Motorcycle Injuries

Things have been a little demanding lately between taking care of my niece (4 years old, happy, energetic, and of the belief that I am able and willing to do anything imaginable), maintaining my house, and my regular duties within the ministry. Additionally, the folks who ordinarily do a lot of the maintenance work on the church property haven’t been well, so I’ve been covering things such as cleaning the main building and some of the landscaping work. There are days when I feel so beat up that I just want to sit and stare. The parts of my body affected by the motorcycle accident keep me feeling as though I’m wearing down like an overused gear that’s slowly running out of grease. My hand takes a few minutes to operate normally when I first wake up, while the rest of the day is spent with the need to tolerate everything else that my hand feels like, well, feeling. My leg is constantly in need of “warming up” for the sake of walking when I first stand after having been seated for more th...

So, it's officially summer and things are busy. I don't have to take care of my niece for several weeks during the summer and it allows for me the opportunity to do other things more freely. I've been going to appointments without having to set the times around her, and I've been able to get a lot of maintenance work done around the house and at the church property as well. It's been good to accomplish so many things, but it really takes a toll on my body parts. Some days it just feels as though my body is waiting to break down. The pain, the stiffness, and the fatigue are a constant reminder of the injuries sustained years ago in the motorcycle accident. Still, I'm getting a lot of things done this summer, and I look forward to the coming weeks. I just wonder sometimes if I'll ever stop feeling as though I'm fading away a little more each day.

Our church had a K-12 school ministry for many years. The so-called Great Recession that began in 2008 caused us to eventually close the school because the financial burden became too great. For many years I worked with 6 or 7 people on staff. Additionally, there was always a host of students, parents, and others who served or delivered to the property during the regular workweek. Things were always busy in the office and active throughout the property. In the summer of 2009 it all changed, and I became the sole person at the church property from Monday through Friday. I grew accustomed to the change within time and always kept busy between studies, office work, personal visits, and property maintenance. I adjusted fairly quickly to the school’s closing, and working alone never really bothered me. In fact, not having a bunch of kids around making noise all day wasn’t all that difficult of an adjustment for me (know what I’m sayin’?). My schedule has now changed significantly since the ...