The Unexpected.

On this date 5 yrs. ago, a girl who had recently moved to the beautiful, snowy North spent her day doing things around Camp. She also went out walking down some trails, writing words in the snow, & enjoying the beauty around her. Not knowing what later that day held in store. She remembers talking to her family & telling them that they were planning to go sledding that night. Go sledding they did & it was so much fun! During that time one of the guys hooked up a tube to a skidoo and offered rides. She had never been on a ride like that before, so hey why not try it? So a friend and her jumped on and off they went. The snow was blowing hard and stinging her face. She thought that since there's a lot of snow she'd be okay to roll off. So she half rolled/fell off and in that process (only God knows how it happened) she heard a crack. She lay there in the snow knowing her leg was broken. Her foot felt like a dead fish in her boot. As she lay there tears started falling. Partly from the pain and partly from knowing they were already short on staff. So there she lay until they discovered she wasn't coming back. Thankfully it wasn't long. When her friend came back he didn't believe her at first. Once convinced he went for help. So they gathered up the strong men, put her on a sled and pulled her to the office. Once inside she lay there shaking, one of them gave her their gloves. She doesn't remember all the conversation that happened, but somewhere in there they made a splint out of cardboard. They once again carried her, placing her in the van, and off they went. The brave director driving in the snowy night and her friend who she was grateful to have along. They made it safely to the hospital where they wheeled her in, and placed her on a bed. They took her boot off and then took her back for x-rays. She looked down at her ankle once and decided that was enough. You see not only had she broken a bone, she had dislocated the other one as well. Surprisingly she remembered her Mom's cell phone number and a call was made informing them of what happened. Somewhere in there they put her under to put her leg in a cast until the operation. During that time she remembers being in a long white tunnel and wondering if this is how it feels to die. No worries, she has no recollection of what was happening in reality during that time, and the world was spinning when she came to. They weren't able to operate in that small town hospital so they were making plans to fly her to a bigger one. She never did get that plane ride due to the snowy weather.

The next morning her friends came into visit before she once again got loaded in the van. This time it was two dear friends who gave of their time to drive her 4 hrs. for an "emergency" surgery. The hospital was crowded when they arrived. They took them to a room to wait where they could see the "Sleeping Giant". Eventually they got things underway for the surgery. She now knows what it's like to be wheeled into the OR. Once on the table she got a little concerned when they asked her which leg to operate on.😳 She remembers counting to 3 and the next thing she knew she was waking up with tears streaming down her face. They gave her pain meds that they said should help in about an hour, meanwhile it was raw pain. She now had a metal plate, 7 screws, and 19 staples in her leg. Little did she know of the recovery journey ahead. They soon let her friends come and before long they were leaving the hospital. They spent the night in a motel room where her friends were amused by the affect pain meds had on her. The next morning found them heading home. There was a welcoming party in the office where she once again brought amusent by the giddiness that the meds brought. Thus began the journey of learning to walk with crutches, doctor visits (in -30) physical therapy and learning to rest. To find her worth in Christ and not in what she could and could not do. She was surrounded by many dear people who walked with her when she couldn't. She will always be grateful to God for the lessons he taught her in this, for the gift of healing He brought, and for the joy of being able to run and walk again  In case you're wondering...this story is true.

A quote from someone.

"When you do something, you do it all the way." 

Yeah, pretty much.🙈

So today as she remembers this part of her story, she smiles and is thankful that even though life brings the unexpected nothing takes Him by surprise. 

Til next time, the girl who hasn't been on a snow tube pulled by a skidoo since.😏

In everything give thanks:

 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I Thes. 5:18

  Yeah, about that. At one point that had been my life theme and almost became as natural as breathing, but lately I've realized that a lot of my frustrations and struggles have been because I've not been grateful. I've gotten overwhelmed & exasperated because I wasn't trusting & I wasn't giving thanks. I've gotten impatient because giving thanks while waiting is hard and I have failed miserably at that recently.

 Being grateful for the good things: yes.  For everything: not so much.
 Grateful for the pain: really?
 Grateful for the lingering and unanswered questionings: hah.
 Grateful for the bills that need to be paid. ouch.
 Grateful for a closed door when you were praying that it would be an open one: just plain hard.   Grateful for the student who tries your patience day in and day: not always.


    So you see I still have a lot to learn in this whole giving thanks lesson of life. Along with that giving thanks comes trusting that God is good. When we believe (truly) that God is working all things together for good then it's not as hard to give Him thanks in all things. He truly does deserve our thanks & He is the One we must trust at all times if we desire to fully thrive. "We love others best when we love God most." I'd venture to say we trust others better when we trust God the most.

   & I'll leave ya'll with the challenge to truly give God thanks. (in everything 😊)


          So a lil bit of Novemember News & Pics:

It felt like a traveling kind of month & it's not even over yet.

PA one weekend. Got to celebrate my sister's Birthday & catch up with friends.

 NYC that Monday. (Riding in the backseat of a 15 passenger van with 7th grade boys is an adventure in itself with topics ranging from cars, Sept. 11th, & the mark of the beast) I must say it was one of my favorite Honor Roll trips & I had a grand time exploring  Ellis & Liberty Island with "my" 3 boys.

The following weekend found me in a car with my traveling friend headed south. Where I was able to catch up with a close friend & suprise my friends/co-workers at Gospel Express.(really good to see them & catch up =) It felt so good to be "home" for a few days. That's the joy of living all over, you have a home many places. Not to mention getting to breathe that fresh mountain air, see the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway & make memories adventuring through Asheville. 

 Oh & we got to celebrate Ms. Martin. (we're now the same age =) I could write a book about her & our friendship so I'll spare y'all.

May you find joy in giving thanks today. & Happy Thanksgiving!

til next time, Ms. Rhonda