Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: HERO (10/01/20)
-
TITLE: For the Want of Coffee | Previous Challenge Entry
By Debra Brand
10/07/20 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
I’m a forever on-the-go person, unable to stay home for more than a day. My hours are filled with ideas and expectations of others and myself. During the Covid-19 months of quarantine, I never missed a day of work. I shopped in the near-empty stores, fully masked to protect myself and others.
It wasn’t until September 9th, my world upended. The Lord is very good at showing us how we tend to live life in a way that doesn’t fully depend upon Him … even if it causes pain.
My husband had asked me to take his truck in for repair to a large service center. I made arrangements with my boss to pick me up on his way to work. I drove into the customer service garage, dropped off the keys to the attendant, and grabbed my belongings. Then I walked out of the overhead door entrance to wait for my ride.
Coffee! It’s still in the truck! I peeked around the corner to see if the truck had moved and there it sat. Quick on my feet, I had only one thing on my mind.
As I picked myself up off the floor, I remember thinking about how quickly life changes. I felt as if a bomb had gone off around me and I was unaware of what happened. Shock and pain in my arm broke through my numbness.
I looked back to where I had walked into the garage and saw a two-inch concrete pad lip. My toe had caught the edge and tripped me so I fell flat. My right arm hung straight down. When I moved it, all I heard was popping and snapping.
I signaled to the attendant of the service desk. Of course, my independence wouldn’t wait for an ambulance or even my boss. One of them drove me immediately to the hospital. X-rays showed a break of the lesser trochanter at the top of my humerus bone. I wasn’t amused.
Six weeks! How in the world would I function! Everything I do is right-handed … eating, typing, driving, my hair! Everything changed in an instant. MY JOB! What was I to do? I need to be able to get dressed, fix my food, and, yes, drive to work.”
My right hand is useless to turn the car on with a key and my left hand can’t bend the right way. Absent a remote car starter, it required ingenuity. My boss said, “Just open the passenger side door, and reach in with your left hand to get the right angle to turn the key.” It’s been a left-handed learning curve to engage my brain and flesh.
I have a new appreciation for left-handers and those with disabilities. I saw my friend Paul soon after my incapacitation. He put his good right arm around me and I told him how much I admire the way he has overcome his disability.
When he was 19 years old, he had gone with his family to a gorge waterfall. As he was standing near the falls, a piece of rock fell and hit him on the left shoulder severing the nerves to his arm. Without insurance and medical technology, he has lived his life knowing what it was like to give a hug with two arms but unable to since then. The arm is usually in a sling and worthless. It just gets in his way.
Now in his sixties, he’s raised three handsome boys on his profession as a car mechanic. He can do more things with one hand than most men can do with two arms. He replaces engines, transmissions, changes tires, and eats his very rare steaks with his hand. Just being able to tie his shoes and refusing to go Velcro is a feat in itself!
My problem is temporary. I have prayed for Paul’s divine healing but even if it isn’t revealed on earth, he knows he will be lifting two arms in heaven.
We all experience the wrong place, the wrong time in our lives. God uses these events to teach us about ourselves, others, and Him. Paul overcame his disability because he is a shining example of determination, backbone, and hope. I will, too.
Here’s to you, Paul. Coffee’s on me.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
