HIS in home accident

The husband God gave me is the happy sort. He is an ENFP, lots of fun and fairly easy to get along with (if i make the bed everyday).

One day, while happily running up the stairs at home, with his hands in his pockets, he slipped and caught himself - with his two front teeth. Yup. He did that. His two front teeth.

Upon hearing the sound of a fall and an agonizing yell, I sent my youngest son to assess the damage - is there blood? His response was 'LOTS of blood!'.

I drove him to the dentist, who was kind enough to meet us after hours. I discovered that you can drive somewhat safely by looking out of the side window. I couldn't look anywhere near my husband, as the sight of him made me feel faint. Did I mention that I am not at all brave?

Anyway, the dentist thought it was a lot worse than we had made it sound over the phone. Silly man, he thought that I might be able to assist him. When I heard him say 'pop them back into the socket' I was done for.

I looked at magazines in the waiting room.

Due to the pain and swelling, he did miss a few days of work. The next day, to get his mind off of it, we took in a movie while the kids were at school. We went to see "Shadowlands". This isn't a funny movie. By the end, the husband God gave me was sobbing, all the while trying to keep his mouth from bleeding. I tend not to cry at sad movies, I wait until I get home to cry. He can't. I didn't know how I was ever going to get him back to the car. Maybe the pain medication had something to do with it, but I walked out of the theater with a swollen faced, swollen eyed crying man, who still can't watch the end of "Shadowlands" to this day.

His teeth are fine now. But, until we knew this for sure I kept two pieces of white 'chicklet' gum with me for a handy replacement.

Remember, NEVER run up stairs with your hands in your pockets!

In-home accidents

I have been the victim of a few serious in-home accidents. I think that is the price I pay for not leaving home all that often. I agree with Jane Austin, who had one of her characters say 'There is nothing like staying home for real comfort'.

One Sunday, while suffering from a slight headache, I was sitting calmly on my couch reading the obituaries. My entire family was in the room also. They were getting ready to leave for church. I had a slight headache, and was going to stay home (let this be a lesson to you!).

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a four panelled folding screen fell. It fell HARD. It landed on the side of my face. Are you familiar with how much blood comes from a head wound? It was not a pretty sight.

While the husband God gave me ran for towels, I made my way into the bathroom to see exactly what had happened. I could only see out of my right eye, as my left eye-brow was now flapping over my left eye.

I somehow managed to use the bathroom, because whenever there is any amount of calamity, that is what I need to do. Always.

Ten minutes later, we were in the emergency room. Those kind people gave me ice to put on it, and then sent me to sit in a room full of people who I am rather sure originally had other plans. They all turned their chairs away from me, which was my first experience ever of being repulsive.

My headache was now a teensy bit more than slight. I had really high blood pressure also. They even weighed me. I remember asking if they were going to deduct the weight of the ice pack and blood soaked towels. Everyone looked concerned. It took me a while to figure out why everyone kept asking me what had happened. When I got put into a treatment room, they asked me again, then asked the husband God gave me to leave the room, and asked me another time.

Then it dawned on me. They thought HE had done this to me. Sure, a likely story. Woman sitting on couch, a folding screen falls on her face while she is reading the obituaries. Happens all the time!

Well, thankfully I wasn't angry and didn't feel like falsely accusing him. The wound required about a dozen stitches to close, both inside and out. The scar runs along the curve of my left eye-brow. The one added benefit is that I can pluck my eye-brow on that side without feeling any pain. The one draw back, is that several times a year I get a horrible stabbing pain along the scar which causes me to whince.

While sitting in the waiting room, less than fifteen minutes after it happened, the husband God gave me turned to me and said 'don't say I never take you anywhere on the spur of the moment!'.

Things to ponder...

Today, these are the thoughts dancing through my mind, attempting to catch my attention long enough for me to ponder them...

How do so many people afford to go see so many movies? I haven't been to a movie in a theater for well over a year...

Are there ways to re-ignite the memories of someone struggling with dementia? Could recreating certain smells help? My husband and I each have a combination of scents that will bring us reeling back to certain wonderful memories. For me, it's the smell of an electric space heater and the yellow moon-shaped pomander from Avon that was in the nursery of our first apartment.

Could Adam and Eve speak to each other when they first met? What would they have said?

Modern art. It doesn't seem particularly modern, nor does it seem particularly like art.

If I play songs on the piano that the composer wrote while suffering from insanity, might I catch his insanity? Have I?!

Where, exactly, do ideas come from? What kind of nerve/brain-matter functions take place for an idea to occur?

Why is it that some of the meanest most nasty people I know are Christians? What am I doing so that I don't become like that? Do they even KNOW they are like that? Don't they care?

The tongue guard. Why hasn't one been invented yet? I need one. In the time it would take me to remove the guard, I would quite possibly reconsider saying what I initially had planned to say. I need this, quick.

Today I want to say something 'mellifluously'.

What that will be yet, I do not know. I read it in my book last night, and thought "Judy, that is what is wrong with your life! You never say anything mellifluously!"

Of course, I didn't know what 'mellifluously' meant until I looked it up this morning. Sadly, I truly don't say much mellifluously.

Something more for me to work on in my life.

Books I am currently reading

"The Wonder Worker" - Susan Howatch

"What's So Spiritual about Your Gifts?" - Henry & Mel Blackaby

"Plowshares & Pruning Hooks" - D. Brent Sandy

"The Diabetes Cure" - Vern Cherewatenko

"The Wonder Worker" is my night read. Susan Howatch has an interesting way of writing, which I really enjoy.

"What's So Spiritual about Your Gifts?" I'm reading this for a class. Refreshing perspectives.

"Plowshares & Pruning Hooks - Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic" I'm reading this because the topic fascinates me, and I have a lot to learn. It is also a glaring reminder that learning was easier for me when I was younger. By the time I finally finish this book, I will have probably read it 20 times. I have to reread and reread just to understand.

"The Diabetes Cure" I'm only reading this because I have diabetes and I found this book at a thrift store for 25 cents. So far, it's been worth every penny.

December is sooo over!

I've learned something. This is a good thing, as I am a slow learner and usually don't realize I've learned something until that information has rendered itself completely useless to me. This might come in handy in years to come.

Every December of my married life, I have been so busy I could never see how I could possibly get it all done. But, I ALWAYS did. Even Christmas of 2003; I had 22 people at my house for Christmas day, and still managed to pull off a wedding 8 days later.

This past Christmas, I had nothing big going on. Nothing at all. And, I did not get 'it all' done. I didn't even get my Christmas letter written, or more than a handful of cards sent out.

No weddings, no basketball tournaments, no trips out of town, no major illnesses, not even a computer to distract me.

Why, oh why then did I not get 'it all' done?

Quite possibly, since my calendar looked pretty empty for December, I FAILED TO PLAN. Me. A dyed in the wool INTJ. I didn't plan. I didn't write lists, I didn't fret, I didn't stay up late. I DID NOT PREPARE!

So, my friend, that is why there was no Christmas letter. That is why the toffee failed (it always takes me three attempts to get it right, and i only left myself time for two attempts). This is why all of the cut-out cookies were 'snowballs'. This is why presents didn't get wrapped until the day of, as the glue still wasn't quite set on my decoupaged gifts.

And, I did learn something. Christmas is a celebration of the best gift ever given. It's best enjoyed in a welcoming heart, without obsessing on all of the mooing and baaing going on all around it. As long as I can hang on to that everyday of the year, I'm less likely to care if I ever get 'it all' done again.

attempt number four

Okay. I'm finally back on line, and I have lost THREE posts today. Could I possibly have forgotten how to do this?

Well, since this is just a 'trial' post, I will attempt to write something humorous.

Today, my daughter's large dog was 'helping' my husband load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Somehow, his collar got caught on the bottom rack. This frightened him and caused him to run, while still attached to the rack. The sound of a rack full of dirty dishes and silverware flying into the air and clattering down all around the kitchen is a truly remarkable thing to hear. A large dog can also make some incredibly high pitched squeals. Many, many dishes were broken. All poor Max lost was his dignity.

And, you may ask, why am I not MAD that this dog that is not even mine broke so many of my dishes? Well, earlier today I had gotten a call from my daughter that her dogs had opened the back door and escaped. She is recovering from the flu, yet was chasing around 10 acres in 10 degree temperatures trying to track them. Three hours later, having given them up for dead, she and her brother (who drove out to help her in her time of need) decided they should go get something to eat. Over a mile from home, across a very busy street, near a dangerous intersection, they discovered her two dogs. Unharmed, but smelling foul. They bounded over to them as if they had called and arranged the pick-up themselves. "Hey! Our ride's here!"

I prayed they would be found alive and unharmed.

The sound of dishes flying around and breaking in my kitchen: the sound of answered prayer.