The Phone Call that Changed My Life.... Chapter 2

After surgery I was extremely weak.  The last week of injury, ice and surgery had really taken its toll.  Here I was back in my parents house, on the pull-out sofa in the living room.

Pull-out sofas are not comfortable, as you probably know there always seems to be an iron bar that goes right across the small of your back.  Mama and daddy's pull-out was no different.  Day and night I stayed on the sofa, but eventually I was able to move about more and more.

I had never been on crutches and they took some getting used to.  I was anxious to get back to Florida, but also knew it would be a while before I came back.

After surgery on the 7th, I had a doctor appointment on the 21st, so my short four day vacation in God's Country had now turned into a month long Groundhog Day experience of pain, sofa bed, pain, sofa bed and on and on.

Daddy knew I was anxious to get back to Florida, but he also knew better than I did that I wasn't ready to go.  He gave me a challenge.  As soon as I could walk to the top of our driveway hill I would be ready to go back.

I was weak, but day after day I began to try to accomplish the task of going up the hill.  The first day, I barely made it out of the garage.  Each day I got stronger, eventually making it to the top of the long driveway hill within about a week. 

My strength was returning and I was getting much better on the crutches.  We had an appointment on the 21st with my doctor, so a few days before that, mama, daddy and I all felt comfortable that we could make a plane reservation for the 23rd.

The 21st came and we made it to my doctor appointment.  For the first time since my surgery the doctor removed my cast and bandages.  When everything was exposed I saw my scar, an 8 inch "L" shaped scar now adorned my beautiful foot.

After getting the cast off, my doctor found a referral for me in WPB and two days later I was on a plane headed back to Florida. 

My first big challenge on the return home was to conquer the 17 steps that led up to my 2nd story apartment.  I made it and eventually learned to drive with my left foot.  I was coming along back in Florida.

The catering job was gone because I couldn't do anything, but that was ok, my main focus now was on getting well.

Four days per week I went to physical therapy, the rest of the time I spent moving slowly and trying to get around.

I found through this experience just how nice people can be.  I had doors held for me by little old women, I learned to drive one of the motorized buggies at the grocery and often had people get items on uppper shelves that I couldn't reach.  The kindness of strangers took on a whole new meaning during this time period.

As I began to get better each day, I also became depressed.  Here I was in a town where I knew no one, I didn't have a job, I couldn't go to the beach and I had several more months on the crutches before I would be able to get around like I did before. 

I looked for a job during this time, had a few interviews, but whenever I came hobbling in it was obvious by looking at the interviewer that I wouldn't be coming back for a second interview. 

I was frustrated, I was angry, I was depressed and I was beginning to think I had made a mistake by moving to Florida. 

Through it all my family tried to keep my spirits up, but it wasn't working, I was at a very low point in my life.

One Saturday night I was on the phone with mama and daddy.  The conversation was pretty typical and then at the end of the conversation daddy said something, he said something that would change my life forever....

"you know that big Church behind the TGIF Friday's restaurant", my response was "yes."  Then daddy said.... "why don't you go to Church in the morning?"

I was non-committal but the next morning I woke up, got dressed and made my way to the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches.  I went in, sat down, and before I left I knew it that phone call from the night before had just changed me, changed me in a way that would soon make me realize it would all be ok!

To Be Continued....