Blessing in Disguise

When I was in grade 7, a classmate of mine broke both of his wrists falling out of a treehouse. I remember thinking at the time it would be cool to have a cast. My wish came true... albeit a little late..

I remember wanting to play ice hockey ever since I was in elementary school; however, my parents thought the sport was too rough so I never got the chance. 19 years later, I finally got the opportunity when a friend's team needed more players for the summer season.

Things were progressing well. I went from having players (and even the ref!) yell out to tell me where to go while I was on the ice, to playing a whole game without going offside, to scoring my first ever goal. I was even on a point-streak with having goals 2 games in a row! Then came my last game. I was clearing the puck from my zone, the other team's player was trying to keep it in and our sticks got tangled. As the play went on with the puck out of our zone, I lost my balance and fell awkwardly with my right foot caught underneath all my weight. It's been awhile since I've shed tears from of physical pain..

After going to the hospital and getting a cast, I learned that I had sustained a right fibula fracture that was undisplaced. Thankfully, no surgery was needed. With a fracture, as healing goes - it takes 6 weeks for callus formation, where the initial bone is laid down that seals the fracture.

6 weeks off... I call it a forced Sabbath. I've been thinking for the last year that I've been too busy and have been needing more rest. Well, I suppose since I wasn't able to make the changes myself God decided to help me out. It's been 3 weeks. God was quite smart actually - if I had broken my left foot I would still be able to drive, but it's my right so I am pretty much home-bound unless someone takes me out. This way, there's less temptation. I am extremely grateful though for friends who have come by to visit and also taken me out of the house.

What have I learned so far? As the song Blessings, by Laura Story says: "What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?" I certainly think this is a blessing in disguise. I'm learning to be still. I have to admit that I'm not very good at it, perhaps I've been over-stimulated. It's hard to maintain at packed lifestyle when walking upstairs seems extremely far and I need help to carry a glass of milk to the table.

Blessing in disguise.. I had been feeling unsettled about going to Africa in September. The trip seemed to creep up on me faster than expected and somewhere along the way I went from being extremely excited about the opportunity, to being anxious about all the things that hadn't been done yet as well as everything that could go wrong. When I broke my leg, it felt like a sign that I shouldn't go in Sept. As a lecture by Randy Pausche describes - brick walls are meant to be torn down. They're there to see how badly we want it. I suppose this was a wall that needed to be broken. I am definitely more at peace with the trip now. I had originally delayed the fight to the end of Sept; however, since my travel companion isn't able to change her flights I have decided to move them back. Part of the other reason which is purely selfish - I'm scared to travel on my own. As it says in Romans 8: 31 "if God is for me, who can be against me?"... "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?" Easier said than done. It's hard to live by faith sometimes. I just read Hebrews 13:7 "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." Interesting word choice. Maybe knowing what I should do is enough and with more imitation then the faith may become my own. I'll be going Sept. 15-Oct. 19 to Gondar, Ethiopia to volunteer at the university there - teaching students in their physiotherapy program. Then it's off to Kenya and Tanzania for a safari.. maybe I'll meet Simba while I'm there. =)