When I broke my foot on Sept. 26, I really thought it was some sort of untimely joke arranged by God Himself. We were in the midst of soccer practice & games, full blown school, prepping for a piano adjudication & youth rally (both on the upcoming Saturday), and Scott already committed to work an extra 24 hours on a floor that absolutely needed him. Not to mention we have Halloween just a month away and at least two costumes which need making, including purchasing supplies. And there was that pesky sewing machine that gave out as I put the final stitches in the Alice costume last year which I still hadn't taken in to be repaired. In my mind, there was simply no time for me to have a broken foot.
As the orthopedist began to wrap my foot and give me directions, I felt my hopes rise. No cast, so surely I can drive and move around. Perhaps this won't be quite as bad as previously envisioned.
Alas, it was going to be exactly as bad as we had envisioned. I was expected to sit with my foot propped for most of the next 10 - 14 days. I was not to even consider driving for a minimum of three weeks. I was to use crutches for a minimum of 3 weeks, and wean off them gradually, using pain and swelling as my guide. And I should be grateful to the comparatively minor injury I sustained, given that most people who put the amount of stress onto their tendon I did end up in surgery with 6 months of recovery due to a shredded muscle. That I should be really impressed with the health and strength of my body.
Are you kidding me???
And so, we began to work things around my foot. The boys were all willing to give up soccer, but we had four different families call and offer rides to and from practice and games to make certain the boys could continue. A dear friend took Isabelle shopping for her costume supplies and another offered to continue the girls' sewing lessons by using the cape for her Ranger's Apprentice costume as the project. And to top it off, my machine was picked up, delivered to the repair shop, and then returned home, all while I lounged on the couch with my foot propped on pillows.
As other families were leaving for the store, they called to get our lists and would swing groceries and supplies by our home before they went on to their own. We had a family who went on our weekly Sam's run for us and, as if that weren't enough, they would bring us lunch and dinner for the day. Another family went to the farm for our weekly raw-milk run, making sure we never ran out of milk for those growing bones.
We were amazed at the sheer volume of support and love which threatened to overwhelm us. Every errand was done, every need was met, and it was all done with smiles and cheerfulness. All of the extra activities and events we had planned months before were still attended, with over a dozen people making certain that each Little Rutherford was delivered and returned.
And as I sat about on my couch throne, I was treated to visit after visit with dear friends and family. What a delight it was to just be able to talk and talk and talk! And for once, it really didn't matter that there were 14 kids in the house playing with every possible toy, lego, sword, nerf gun and train set because I couldn't do much about it anyway.
Over four weeks later, I am finally starting to move a little more freely. A few well-aimed, yet completely unintentional, crashes directly onto my fractured fifth metatarsal extended my healing time by a solid ten days. And we have all decided it is much better to be in a family where everyone is able to participate in the daily goings-on. We all feel tremendously blessed to have such a large number of people who love us enough to help our family continue to run smoothly no matter what it took.
But mostly, I am grateful to Scott & the children. Scott, who would work a 16 hour stint at the hospital, stop by the grocery store to get more eggs & bread, and still come home cheerful, ready to visit briefly with everyone before going upstairs to get some well-earned rest. The kids really pulled together to accomplish just about everything within the home while also managing to keep up with their schooling, largely done around the couch. It wasn't always easy and during that first week we learned of some major gaps in our parenting. (Insert here: we had no idea just how much I was picking up on a daily basis or how poorly I was following through with requests to accomplish tasks. That was quite the shocker!)
So at the end of this particular challenge, I now feel confident in saying that it wasn't God's idea of a joke. Rather, it was God's providing an opportunity for us to learn so many, many things. We discovered major chinks in our family which, now that they are corrected, have helped us become a more cheerful and productive team. I have a new appreciation for the man I married and the quiet strength which he uses as he goes about the task of being the husband/dad/son/brother/friend/employee that he is. I see again the value in tuning out the fun the kids are having in order to focus on a dear friend. And I am utterly thankful for all the families who are a part of our daily lives.
We knew we are blessed. We just didn't realize just how much.
As the orthopedist began to wrap my foot and give me directions, I felt my hopes rise. No cast, so surely I can drive and move around. Perhaps this won't be quite as bad as previously envisioned.
Alas, it was going to be exactly as bad as we had envisioned. I was expected to sit with my foot propped for most of the next 10 - 14 days. I was not to even consider driving for a minimum of three weeks. I was to use crutches for a minimum of 3 weeks, and wean off them gradually, using pain and swelling as my guide. And I should be grateful to the comparatively minor injury I sustained, given that most people who put the amount of stress onto their tendon I did end up in surgery with 6 months of recovery due to a shredded muscle. That I should be really impressed with the health and strength of my body.
Are you kidding me???
And so, we began to work things around my foot. The boys were all willing to give up soccer, but we had four different families call and offer rides to and from practice and games to make certain the boys could continue. A dear friend took Isabelle shopping for her costume supplies and another offered to continue the girls' sewing lessons by using the cape for her Ranger's Apprentice costume as the project. And to top it off, my machine was picked up, delivered to the repair shop, and then returned home, all while I lounged on the couch with my foot propped on pillows.
As other families were leaving for the store, they called to get our lists and would swing groceries and supplies by our home before they went on to their own. We had a family who went on our weekly Sam's run for us and, as if that weren't enough, they would bring us lunch and dinner for the day. Another family went to the farm for our weekly raw-milk run, making sure we never ran out of milk for those growing bones.
We were amazed at the sheer volume of support and love which threatened to overwhelm us. Every errand was done, every need was met, and it was all done with smiles and cheerfulness. All of the extra activities and events we had planned months before were still attended, with over a dozen people making certain that each Little Rutherford was delivered and returned.
And as I sat about on my couch throne, I was treated to visit after visit with dear friends and family. What a delight it was to just be able to talk and talk and talk! And for once, it really didn't matter that there were 14 kids in the house playing with every possible toy, lego, sword, nerf gun and train set because I couldn't do much about it anyway.
Over four weeks later, I am finally starting to move a little more freely. A few well-aimed, yet completely unintentional, crashes directly onto my fractured fifth metatarsal extended my healing time by a solid ten days. And we have all decided it is much better to be in a family where everyone is able to participate in the daily goings-on. We all feel tremendously blessed to have such a large number of people who love us enough to help our family continue to run smoothly no matter what it took.
But mostly, I am grateful to Scott & the children. Scott, who would work a 16 hour stint at the hospital, stop by the grocery store to get more eggs & bread, and still come home cheerful, ready to visit briefly with everyone before going upstairs to get some well-earned rest. The kids really pulled together to accomplish just about everything within the home while also managing to keep up with their schooling, largely done around the couch. It wasn't always easy and during that first week we learned of some major gaps in our parenting. (Insert here: we had no idea just how much I was picking up on a daily basis or how poorly I was following through with requests to accomplish tasks. That was quite the shocker!)
So at the end of this particular challenge, I now feel confident in saying that it wasn't God's idea of a joke. Rather, it was God's providing an opportunity for us to learn so many, many things. We discovered major chinks in our family which, now that they are corrected, have helped us become a more cheerful and productive team. I have a new appreciation for the man I married and the quiet strength which he uses as he goes about the task of being the husband/dad/son/brother/friend/employee that he is. I see again the value in tuning out the fun the kids are having in order to focus on a dear friend. And I am utterly thankful for all the families who are a part of our daily lives.
We knew we are blessed. We just didn't realize just how much.
