Twenty years living in my home, and I still managed Christmas Eve morning to walk right into the wall on my way to shower before church. It’s been there all along. The furniture hasn’t been rearranged or anything. I knew it was there, but somehow I still managed to walk right into the doggone thing, stubbing my toe so hard that it stuck straight out – in the wrong direction.
I mean sticking straight out like – my foot was going left, but my toe was going right. Yes, that kind of sticking out.
When I finished scolding my wall for being in my way….. And yes, I most certainly did scold my wall….. (Pray for me)……. I knew what I had to do. This was not my first rodeo. Long story short, I basically put my toe back in the right position, and went about my morning the best I could.
Oh, not the morning I had planned on, by any means. No, I headed to the ER certain that my toe was broken, but a little worried there was some foot involvement, so I needed it checked out.
Another long story made short again – it was in fact only my toe, but my entire foot swelled up like a balloon – a beautiful black and blue one, and let’s just say I’m thankful we haven’t had any snow yet. It’s almost the 29th and I still can’t get a shoe on.
The doctor wrote in my medical record that I “kicked the wall.” I did not kick the wall. I don’t know why he said that in my record. I am a lot of things – wall kicker is not one of them. Wall scolder? Yes. Wall kicker? Absolutely not. I’m far too mature for that. (Stop laughing, those of you who know me!)
I lost three days of pay, including my holiday pay, and felt like I let my co-workers down knowing that they were already short-staffed. So I whined to anyone who would listen – and they all listened because I have good friends. Thanks, guys.
I still managed to make it to church Christmas night with a group of friends. I was even chauffeured in both directions. And if my friends were Uber drivers, I’d give them all 5 stars.
Christmas morning I was able to spend with my son. Christmas evening I got to spend part of my evening with my older son with his wife and family, and part of the evening with my sister. The following day I just relaxed at home and took down Christmas decorations, and last night had a family dinner together with some of my favorite people. (Some of my favorites were missing. I have a lot of favorites, actually.) My mother even made it to dinner, and closed out the evening at my kitchen table with one of her grandsons and two of his childhood friends. She really enjoyed that! And me? I enjoyed watching and listening to all of them laugh as they shared stories.
You might be wondering what I think is so special about stubbing the living daylights out of my toe that warrants actually writing a blog about it. But it’s not really about my toe, or Christmas, or how my wall jumped out in front of me. (I am certain it did, okay? Certain!)
What makes the toe stubbing story worth blogging is the fact that the odds of getting to see everyone I got to see, spend time with each of the friends and family members I did, and enjoy each and every one of those visits so much, are pretty slim. I’d already been spending the last days of 2018 doing some little meaningful things I’d planned on doing to close out the year the way that I had planned. But God had a different idea about how I ought to end 2018. And His plans always trump ours.
So He moved the wall. 🙂
I’ve even gotten to enjoy seeing my sons spend their evenings together and enjoy each other. That’s just the best. It makes my heart hap hap happy to know they love each other.
When I stopped scolding the wall, and the throbbing subsided for a bit, I remembered Proverbs 16:9 and laughed. God does sometimes have a funny way of getting our attention – always for our good, though. He loves us. And since people are what matter the very most to God – He sometimes arranges our steps in such a way that we wind up spending time with those we love the most – just when we expect it least, but God knows we need it most. I would have certainly preferred a different attention-getter, but I’m not the one ordering my steps….
And once again, just for the record Doc – I did NOT kick any walls!
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
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