My Motorcycle Injuries

My daughter had a relatively minor surgical procedure performed today. She entered the hospital as an outpatient early in the morning and was released in the early afternoon. My wife and I took her to the hospital and waited there throughout the process. We went to the area where they do the prep work before surgery and then went in later to sit with her in the recovery area. She’s resting comfortably at home now so all is well. It has taken me all day before I could write these present thoughts, in part because I’ve been busy taking care of things like food and medicine, but mostly because I’m a dad. Nothing is easy. It was a little weird to see all of the medical stuff associated with surgery today. On one side of my mind was the involvement and concern with my daughter’s condition, but on the other side were the memories and thoughts that arose with being in the surgery section of a hospital. As the pastor of a church I visit hospitals fairly often, but I rarely have the need to vis...

The Santa in the photo belongs to me. When you press his stomach he cheerfully says, “Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas”, and then he sings a verse of Santa Clause Is Coming to Town. I should state that my wife and I never endorsed the whole Santa thing at Christmastime. We never taught my daughter that he existed, but rather taught that he was a fantasy figure similar to a cartoon character. The thing is that as a Christian I cannot allow an omniscient and magical individual to supplement the glory of a Divine Savior who came to this world in human form to provide a redeeming work of grace. Jesus Christ came as a baby in a manger in order to die as a man on the cross. It is because of His redeeming work that we are able to receive the saving grace of God, and I could never allow Santa or anyone else to diminish the glory of Christ from the heart of my kid. With this in mind, why then do I keep the Santa doll that speaks and sings in a somewhat goofy voice? My niece (the one that I’m closes...

I’ve been having a more difficult time with my leg the past few weeks. I’m not sure if it’s just the way that things are, or if I’ve been doing something to aggravate it. I’ve been forced to limp at times, and the pain focuses on my knee and shin. Pain has had the tendency to come and go throughout various points in my body over the years since the accident, so I’m not really going to think that much about it just yet. The problem is that I always harbor the thought of knee replacement surgery in the back of my mind. There’s a real contrast within my mind regarding this issue. Part of me doesn’t ever want to be a patient in a hospital again. That part of me would much rather endure the inconvenience of a bad leg and just move on with life. No more surgery, no more thin robes that open in the back when you stand, no more gross food, no more being bothered in the middle of the night, and no more nurses in charge of touching and measuring and dispensing. The other part of me would like to...

I visited a family member in the hospital very recently. He’s a few years younger than me and he became quite ill a few weeks ago. They were having a difficult time fully diagnosing his problems, but we were told today that they finally figured out what was wrong with him. He’ll have to endure some treatments and a few things in his lifestyle will have to change, but it’s nothing even close to terminal and for that I’m thankful. Seeing him in the hospital waiting to figure out what was wrong while he endured pain and suffering made me think about the road that we travel when dealing with a hospital, a diagnosis, and all of the aftermath. When I was in the hospital, and for many months after I came home, I honestly thought that I would overcome my injuries to the extent that my body would be the same in its function as it was before the accident. I thought that the process would involve me going home, recovering fully, and moving on with life. I have indeed moved on with life in a good ...

It was 5 years ago today that the accident occurred. My bike didn’t make it, but I did. So many great and wonderful things have happened in my life since, yet the memories of the early days after the accident remain quite vivid. Still, life really does go on, and it always will. The accident occurred on a return trip home after getting my haircut. I’m celebrating the day with a haircut later. Yes indeedy, I’m a party animal who tempts fate.

I remember the days in which I would work at my office and look forward to the time of day when I could leave work, go home, and relax. Those days seem so long ago to me now after five years of working mostly out of my house and laboring daily to “get better”. I’m thinking that at this point I’m about as “better” as I’m going to get. I still stay home a lot, but it’s all about sustaining a certain level of well-being at this point. I usually only go to the office during the week for a few hours at a time. Today I went to work with a long list of things that had to be done and I actually felt a sense of elation when I entered the office building and got to work. The list of things to be done included studies, a sermon outline, bookkeeping, filing, copying, errands, general office work, and grounds maintenance. I didn’t know how much I would get done when I started, but by 2 p.m. it became obvious to me that I would be able to finish it all if I stayed a few hours later than I had planne...

 A week from today (November 29 th ) marks the five year anniversary of the accident. It happened on the day after Thanksgiving in 2013, but this year the date falls on the week after Turkey Day. Still, the Thanksgiving holiday has always seemed strongly linked to the accident within my mind. It’s early morning now as I post this entry and in just a little while we’ll be going to a relative’s house nearby for the day. There will be fifteen of us this year and we will spend the whole day together eating, conversing, playing games, and watching TV. Many of the people that I will be with today were at the hospital or close by throughout the ordeal after the accident. I don’t really know what to think about this day beyond the obvious. I know that I will spend the day having a nice time with people that I love. I know that we will all be in a festive mood and several of us (not me) will be busy in preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know that we will share aspects of our lives an...