Recovery

I am still hobbling along. These days are better than the days right after my injury, but the pain is still nearly constant. I look back at life "before" and wonder what I did with all that pain-free time. Why wasn't I conquering the world?

Our home was just barely recovering from my down time when we decided to put down new flooring. The floors are gorgeous but the chaos atop them is not. Putting in new flooring is just about like moving. Everything must be removed, stored and then replaced. I am using this as an opportunity to cull the clutter which has been slowly and insidiously taking over our home. So far we have filled our 15 passenger van for a delivery to Goodwill and another pile of donations is growing next my garage door. VOA comes tomorrow to pick up that pile. Our garbage bill will be atrociously high this month as we have set out extra bags and made several trips to the dump. Why was I keeping all this stuff?

Clutter increases itself exponentially whenever you turn your back or blink your eyes. I have learned, again, that I need to be constantly culling or it will take over.

"I will be mistress of my own home!" said with an emphatic stamp of the foot.

Revealing times....

I injured my back at a birth on Jun 2nd. Mama was squatting and pushing and I was supporting her and it was just too much for this poor ol' back of mine. That was a Friday and by Monday I couldn't walk. As in, I could not lift my feet off the ground. The pain was intense whenever I stood or sat or assumed any position except lying flat. Nice. This is obviously the ideal position for running a busy household. We wrangled up a pair of crutches which allowed me to walk. Sort of. It took me 25 minutes to "walk" to the bathroom and back to bed. I am happy to report that this state of affairs did not last too long. Visits to my lovely chiropractor have helped relieve the pain and increase my mobility.

The first 3 days were clothed in fear. I was in so much pain and 2 visits to the chiro hadn't helped noticeably. Ready to throw in the towel, I went for that 3rd visit in 4 days. Relief and hope, thank the Lord. In all, I spent a full week entirely in bed and the next week making short journeys around the house before retiring back to the only comfortable spot in the house.

During this time, my eldest daughter stepped in and ran the house. She couldn't manage everthing I do and the other children gave her a terrible time, but she more or less kept the filth and clutter at bay. Those days revealed faults in me and in my children that I now get to address. Thankfully, it is summer and the burden is easier since we are finished with school.

May our Lord grant me wisdom as I train these gifts to better service to our family and ultimately to Him.