By Anne Haraughty, Ministries Coordinator
About a week ago, I was getting ready to take my son to school, and I headed down a half flight of stairs without a second thought. Moments later, I was flat on the floor below and in a fair amount of pain. In hindsight I realized I had missed the last step of the staircase and completely wiped out. A visit to the emergency room verified I had broken my right fibula.
Life with a broken bone has changed my daily life. I can’t drive. Stairs are a struggle. Walking requires crutches, and pain medicine makes me lethargic. In a nutshell, I’ve lost much of my ability to take care of myself, by myself which is difficult for someone as independent as I am.
On the other hand, I’ve had many sweet times: my kids sitting on my bed with me while I rest, my husband taking on more household duties without being asked, my mom driving me to work, friends bringing food to the house, colleagues stepping in to help with work projects, and prayers from many people.
So I’m learning a lot through this experience. I’ve learned a new appreciation for people who live with pain, who struggle of mobility, who rely on others for their physical needs. And, let’s face it, at some point we all have these struggles at some point in life. So my lesson learned is how important it is to look for small ways to help others through their struggles and accept help from others when.
