HEELCATCHER

A good night’s sleep helped the day to start off better. The pain in my foot is practically gone…though my right shoulder and left hip are sore. I guess compensating for a lame foot and a heavy cast can take its toll on the rest of my body.

I spent most of the day working on this website. Under normal circumstances, I would have never had time for this. Too many other responsibilities would have demanded my attention. Sitting on a recliner most of the day gave me the time I needed. I pray that something I write will be an encouragement to others.

My biggest adventure today was going to a sporting goods store with Liz and the boys. The boys had some Christmas money and they wanted some sports jerseys and/or Under Armor. I simply wanted to get out of the house. A sporting goods store wasn’t a bad place to start.

A lady in our church loaned us a small wheelchair. Standing up with crutches is not easy for me right now. The angle of my left foot makes it difficult to rest the cast on the ground so I usually end up standing like a flamingo with my left leg bent behind me. It’s a position I can only hold for a few minutes. The wheelchair is a nicer option.

My four year old wanted to push me. Scary thought. I pictured OJ Simpson in The Naked Gun rolling down the stadium steps and flipping out onto the field. I mentioned that movie scene to my kids and they asked, “Who’s O.J. Simpson?” I guess that’s good.

Each of the boys took a turn pushing me in the sporting goods. For some reason, that was a neat experience for them. Noah scared me the most. He seemed to think there was some kind of race to win. Eventually I decided to roll myself around.

It was a unique experience being in a wheelchair in a store during Christmas shopping season. A few kids stared at me. Sale racks blocked many of the aisles. I got stuck between a table and a wall while looking at a clearance sale on shoes. But over time I learned how to maneuver fairly well and avoid rolling over people’s toes. I felt like a midget checking out, reaching up to sign the credit card receipt on the checkout counter.

Coming home we stopped by Starbucks for a caramel frappuccino. The day was getting better every moment.

At home, I watched another football game, Florida vs. Florida State. I grew up a Florida State fan. I heard Bobby Bowden give his testimony at a Baptist youth conference when I was around twelve years old. I became a fan instantly. The rest of my family rooted for the Gators while I cheered on the ‘Noles. My mom eventually cheered with me. She didn’t really care too much about football and didn’t want her youngest son to cheer alone. The ‘Noles were much better then so I enjoyed a lot more good moments than the rest of my family. How times have changed…except for the fact that Bobby Bowden is still coaching.

I guess it is bad to abandon the FSU ship in the midst of such a pitiful season but I honestly wanted Florida to win. Not that I care about the Gators. I simply admire the strong Christian testimony of Tim Tebow and I want him to end his college career with an indisputable claim to the “best college football player in history.” Two Heismans, three nationals championships, and a slew of SEC records would do it. My kids have already devoted themselves as Gator fans (at least for now). It is hard to blame them after watching them destroy the ‘Noles. Oh, Bobby, it is time to retire.

We put up the Christmas tree (I watched), ate dinner (my leg propped up on the chair next to me), and then started getting ready for bed.

The other handicapped accessory I got today was a shower seat. I can’t wait to use it tonight before going to bed.

Our home has almost been completely transformed into “handicap-friendly.” Chairs are strategically positioned throughout the house. The recliner has been outfitted with all the modern conveniences of life. And most of the kids’ toys have actually been picked up off the floor. Amazing.

Perhaps the neatest thing I am seeing in this whole ordeal is my kids’ picking up the slack at home. Jonah practically unpacked and put up the Christmas tree on his own. The boys are setting the table and clearing it after a meal. This morning they pitched in to clean up the whole house. Noah delivered my food today and even did a little dance to entertain me.

I have noticed that often people don’t rise to a challenge until they have to. Maybe as a parent, I often get in the way of letting my children take on more responsibility. Or maybe as a child, they step back when they think someone else can do it. Whatever the case, this injury has raised the bar for them in our house.

Thank You, Lord, for helping me to see and enjoy the simple blessings of life.

The first day I woke up without any pain. My foot actually felt normal…except for the fifteen pound cast on my leg. I quit taking the toradol. I was glad to get off that stuff.

I shaved and brushed my teeth sitting on a chair next to the sink. I took a shower sitting on the little stepstool and then transferring to a chair next to the shower to dry off. Another chair is positioned at the landing of the second floor so that I can sit and transfer to my butt in order to scoot down the stairs. My preferred location downstairs is the recliner in the backroom. My laptop computer is plugged in on a little stand next to me. A stack of books is on the floor. My leg is propped up on a pillow with a PolarCare 500 ice machine (borrowed from a friend of ours) pumping cold water continuously around my foot. The TV remote is next to me in case I want to catch a football game or something else on TV. This becomes my “home” for most of the day.

The reality of the next few months hits me today. The “newness” of the whole affair has worn off and now I realize how tough the next few weeks will be. The simplest of tasks (brushing my teeth, taking a bath, going to the bathroom) are no longer simple.

Thankfully, if I had to schedule this event on my calendar, it happened at the perfect time. My responsibilities at church had become considerably less. My Thursday night class was off for two weeks. My sermon series had ended. Retreats and conferences were past. For two weeks, there was nothing pressing on my calendar. I will at least get through the initial adjustment of the injury and the recovery before I have to get back in the groove of a regular work schedule.

The timing makes me think that God has a specific purpose for this injury/recovery time. It definitely has slowed me down and given me a chance to read, to write, to think. Lord, help me to make the most of this time.

It has been one week since the injury and I had my best sleep since that time.

Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful that I slept well last night. I am thankful that the pain is not as bad in my heel. I am thankful that I have a great wife who loves me and cares for me in such tangible ways. I am thankful for God’s guidance and provision in my life.

At noontime, we went to the church for a thanksgiving dinner. Liz and I have hosted a dinner at the church for the past three years for fellow “nomads” and family-less people in the church. We usually have 15-20 people. This year we had 30. While Liz and the boys helped set things up, I sat in a reclining chair giving whatever instructions I could. I usually over-prepare for these kinds of events and worry about how well they will go. This year that wasn’t a concern. I was just thankful to be there. Surprisingly I think things went better too.

After everyone arrived (and I relayed my story a few more times), we sat down around the large u-shaped table. I read from Colossians 3:15-17, the verses that meant so much to me on the day of my surgery. The idea of thankfulness is mentioned in each of these verses. Then I asked everyone to introduce themselves and share at least one thing they were thankful for. I started by thanking God for my wife who continues to amaze me and humble me with her servant’s heart, her unconditional love, and her ability to get things done. What a partner to have in life.

It was awesome to hear each person share. We had young and old, single and married, southerners and northerners, black, brown, and white, immigrants and native-born Americans. The neatest thing was hearing the young kids share. They picked up on the procedure and shared just like the adults. My four year old son Joshua shared last, “Hi, my name is Joshua. And I am thankful to God that I am one of the Fosters.” That’s enough to make a father smile.

Three hours went by quickly. The food was great. The fellowship was better. Conversations flowed naturally. The kids went outside to play. The adults stayed inside and got to know each other better. I enjoyed the time but started to get a headache at about 3pm—the same time I had gotten a headache the day before. Not sure if it was the pain or the pain medication that made my head throb.

We got home around 4:30pm. I took a nap to get rid of my headache. I woke up around 6pm, ate some dinner, watched some football, and then went to bed.