Christmas Time Is Here

Christmas is coming! Based on my calculations it should be here… tomorrow! Yes, I know the calendar says it should take another 124 days, but based on how quickly the summer went by, I figure it will only feel like one day, maybe two. Personally, I had planned to do a lot over the summer but ran out of time. After all, you can’t do much overnight.

That’s sure what it feels like to me. It feels like commencement was just yesterday, yet we already have convocation today. Somehow, I managed to be in a wedding, find a new apartment, undergo knee surgery, go to New York three times, and fall in love with my Kindle—all between yesterday and today. However, that isn’t nearly as much as I had wanted to do!

So little time, so much to do. I had wanted to get to the beach. I had wanted to have a Lord of the Rings marathon. I had wanted to rearrange my office. I had wanted to update my blog more often. Somehow, all that time just got away from me. Crazy work hours dominated the few days of nice weather with which Scranton is graced every year. Life has always been a battle between what I need to do and what I want to do.

The beautiful thing about Christmas is its scheduled sanctity. We get federal holidays and office parties and bonus checks: we get a BREAK. I don’t know about you, but I know that I’m already looking forward to the vacation. All those tranquil days of quiet snow that can be spent cuddled under a blanket on the couch… I’m feeling peaceful just thinking about it! Good thing it will be here tomorrow.

Giants in the Land

One of my friends and I were recently talking about the story in Numbers 13-14 when God’s people refused to enter the Promised Land because there were giants there. That conversation has stuck with me and has seemed particularly applicable to my own life lately. “Overwhelmed” doesn’t even begin to describe how I’ve been feeling. In the book of Numbers, only two of the twelve spies said, “come on, we can take these guys!” Everyone else was so scared that they wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt!

Something that has really helped me face the giants in my life has been naming them: Finances, Insecurity, Synovial Chondromatosis, the Detroit Red Wings, etc. Having identified the obstacles, it’s easier for me to deal with them. We all know the name of the most famous giant ever, Goliath. When David had to deal with him, he did so “in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Having been thoroughly convicted of what I should do with my giants, I have been trying very hard to do it. What I’m discovering is that sometimes, even when you’re trying to do the right thing, things don’t always work out the way you think they should. Elijah definitely experienced this when “he went and did according to the word of the LORD… and lived by the brook Cherith… the ravens brought him bread and meat… and he drank from the brook… and THE BROOK DRIED UP!”

Both Elijah and I are probably thinking something very similar as we watch our brooks dry up, something along the lines of “SERIOUSLY?!” Now, I realize that I’m mixing my biblical metaphors here, but let me just say that when you’ve determined to fight those giants (come hell or high water!) and your brook dries up, it’s beyond discouraging. I’m not trying to equate myself with Joshua and Caleb, or David, or Elijah, but then again, weren't they just ordinary people with extraordinary faith?

Who says I can’t have awesome faith like theirs, the kind that can move giant mountains? All I am trying to say is that it’s not as easy as it looks on paper. You expect adversity in such a venture, but what you don’t expect is a lack of support. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only person who has ever had the rug pulled out from under them: Elijah’s brook dried up, David’s brothers didn’t believe in him, and the whole nation told Joshua and Caleb they were crazy—it looks like I’m in good company!

Can't Get Up

Last Friday, I had the most stupid and painful accident of my life (so far): I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk. If you know me at all, you know that clumsiness is nothing new for me. This time, however, I landed squarely on my bad knee and could not get back up afterwards. I felt like one of those old ladies from the Life Alert commercials, but I was incredibly grateful that I could call for help.

All I was doing was taking a latte to one of my friends who was having a bad day. Next thing I knew, it felt like my knee had exploded. For almost a minute, I couldn’t stop screaming, but there was nobody around. When I could catch my breath again, I found my phone amidst of the spilled coffee and called Security to say that I had fallen and couldn’t get up.

Ken came running out immediately, followed by Hal, Carol, and Steph. All I really wanted was someone to give me a hand up, but they all insisted that I go to the emergency room to get checked. So, off we went. I got right in at CMC and we figured out that nothing was broken. The ER doctor didn’t know what else to do with me though, as the fall had obviously aggravated my preexisting synovial chondromatosis.

A quick trip to the orthopedic specialist I’ve been seeing for the past couple years resulted in the diagnosis of a partially ruptured tendon. Since then, I’ve been on pain meds and anti-inflammatories. I’m off the crutches but still wearing a very serious looking brace. My follow-up appointment next week will hopefully determine whether there was any permanent damage.

The good news is that so far, worker’s comp has been covering everything. Everyone has been very caring and concerned, which has been a huge blessing. Stephanie especially was practically an angel to help me out and drive me around on Friday. Even the timing of the whole incident was miraculous, since I was able to get right in to the see the doctors. It might be quite a while before everything’s all better… but it could certainly be a lot worse, so thank you!