Merry Christmas

About two weeks ago I started to trim a climbing rose vine that had grown far above the roof, with branches reaching about twelve feet into the air. The last thing I remember is standing on a six foot ladder, yanking at on one of the tentacles I’d cut, to pry it loose from the interconnected maze of spiny branches. I can remember falling backwards.

I later found out that I was unconscious and moaning for a couple minutes after I hit the driveway. The next thing I remember was struggling to get up, even though there were people all around me telling me not to get up. I got up anyway, and they got a chair for me so I could sit down. I was still disoriented, and didn’t know where I was for a while, or how I had gotten there. I was struggling to figure out and piece together where I was, and how I had ended up lying in a pool of blood. I only knew I had to get up off the ground – maybe because it was too close to being under the ground. I looked at the large pool of blood where I had been lying on the pavement. There was also a great deal of blood on the towels that they were holding to my head. I was just beginning to realize that something very serious had happened.

The paramedics arrived – we were close to a hospital. The paramedics were trying to get me to go to the hospital. I didn’t want to go. A lot of arguing and debate ensued, basically because I couldn’t afford the medical bills. But eventually I went anyway because I figured there was a chance I might die otherwise.

But I didn’t die. They took a lot of ct/scans which I wish now they hadn’t, and eventually they got around to sewing up the big gash on the top of my head. Most of the pain afterwards was from some bruised and broken ribs. They took out the stitches in my head a week ago, but my side still hurts when I sneeze or cough so I try to avoid it. What really hurt was when I got the bill from the hospital.

But you know what? This has been such a lousy year anyway, with the tinnitus and trying to deal with all that, it hardly seems to matter at this point. Friends and neighbors have been helping, though mostly God has seen me through it all. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger in Him.

I just wanted to let everyone know what was going on, and why it’s been three weeks since I posted anything. I received an email from Peace about anonymous aka Jason causing trouble again, so I deleted his posts and put a ban on him. I’ve been reading the other comments, and wanted to say thanks to everyone who’s participated in the blog this year. I sincerely hope that everybody has a Merry Christmas. Except for Jason – I hope he has a happy holiday.