I'm Okay!

I have never been graceful. And if there is some clumsy accident to be had, it will be had by me. I made an annual event out of being on crutches from 7th through 10th grade, though I never broke a bone. I was just skiing when my doctor told me not to. A year ago Labor Day I revisited my hobbling hobby by breaking my little toe, thereby wrecking that record.

Speaking of wrecking, I was pulling into the church parking lot tonight to pick up my little darlings from AWANA -- in the dark, in a parking lot with which I'm not very familiar -- and totally high-centered the family van on a curb. Nice. I'm great at making subtle entrances. After doing an entire lap around the parking lot, driving back out onto the road, and coming back into the parking lot in an attempt to find a parking spot, I was a little bit irritated. Finding a spot eventually, I tried to examine the undercarriage of the van to see the extent of the damage. Couldn't tell.

I made my way to the nursery to pick up the youngest, started down the stairs -- still miffed at myself -- while trying to spot him in the windows ahead. Bad idea. Distracted, I failed to account for that last step and crashed in a heap at the bottom, rolling my foot/ankle in the process. Tears. Lots of tears, because in the ensuing clamor to fetch my husband, ice, the boys, and the peering of anxious faces young and old, I am really feeling like the biggest idiot in the land. Nobody's fault but my own. Ah, humility. What a constant companion you are!

I apologize to the kind lady who first happened upon me, because I think I uttered a few words not approved by the AWANA staff. It wasn't the pain so much as envisioning our life the next few days -- did I mention my husband is going out of town?? -- with me not able to walk, drive, or fetch milk and snacks on a minute by minute basis.

Fortunately, it turns out to be only a badly sprained foot. So here I sit with my bandaged foot elevated above my heart and a liver-killing dose of ibuprofen in my belly. And crutches. As I kissed the boys good night, I asked them to pray for my foot. My youngest pouts and says he doesn't want to. I think he'll change his mind tomorrow when he has to fetch his own milk.

**A note to folks considering the church merger: I was offered both crutches and a wheelchair by the kind folks at ECC. Combine those with our defibrillator and we'd be ready for anything! Or at least ready for anything I can dish out. But lights for the parking lot. We definitely need lights for the parking lot....