A few nights before my departure, I was coming back from a gathering with my friend and co-worker, Madeleine, when I asked her if she could assist me in getting to the bathroom as quickly as possible. We had just pulled up to my hotel, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to go, and...I had to go right then. Well, all of the doors to this bathroom in the lobby were "pull" doors, and, when ya gotta go, you don't need to be going in the opposite direction of forward at ANY moment. :-P
So, Madeleine and I take off running. I felt like I was at the Kentucky Derby, because I sure did have to go like a racehorse!
Welllllllll...see, the chair that I had rented for the duration of my stay at JAF was a bit special and mismatched. the footrests were three feet apart--at least. That doesn't bode well for trying to go through doorways under the BEST of circumstances. Add to the mix that I am pretty much cross-eyed at this point and in need of a toilet? yeah. My judgement was cloudy at best. So, I clipped the edge of the stall door. Oops. You would have thought that it was a reenactment of "The Walls of Jericho." In an instant, it was nearly crashing down.
Madeleine and I stopped, gasped...and then we erupted with laughter. Madeleine let out an, "Oh, dear!" Followed by an, "If you still plan on using the bathroom, I suggest you hurry. Don't breathe. Don't sneeze. I don't think the structure can take even the slightest movement."
We giggled. And giggled. And giggled. And then she made me tell the front desk clerk what happened. We go up to the desk, stifling our giggles, we explain what happened. The front desk clerk responds with, "No big deal, I will put it on the list to alert maintenance about in the morning."
Madeleine's response? "Um, I don't think you understand the urgency of what has happened. I really think that you should go look at it. Now. If somebody sneezes, they might die."
The clerk goes and looks.
We giggled some more.
The next morning, I received an e-mail at work, first thing. It was from Madeleine. The subject line read, "It is." The body of the e-mail read, "still funny." I read this and laughed out loud. 'Twas great.
Then Tuesday came. It was bittersweet. My last day at JAF. On that last day, Joni "Her Rolling Highness" Tada was at a speaking engagement but still made time to call the office to pray with and for me over the phone. She called me her friend. She told me she loved me. It was a truly special moment that I will treasure always.
Things were clicking along, and then I got a phone call from home. My apartment had sustained significant water damage thanks to a busted water pipe in the upstairs apartment. Due to the negligence of everyone involved, it never dawned on anyone to check my apartment since, oh, you know, water travels DOWNWARD...and, well, my apartment is infested with mold. Seriously. It looks like Spanish Moss is in my apartment. So, looks like my hopes of sleeping in my own bed after three months is being put on hold. My wheelchair is a total loss. The vast majority of my things are a total loss.
But, yeah. So, I am getting my grand send off, and people are gathered around me in a circle, and one by one, they shared just how I had touched/blessed their lives in the time I had been there. Then Nicole, who works with Kids' Corner praised my helping with the Kids' Corner Blogs. I am just so thankful to know that I was useful, and that others found me helpful, useful and BRIGHT. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me gifts that are truly useful to others!
Then I was presented with a gift! So sweet.
During my send off, I share the news of doomsday that has descended on my apartment. So everyone prays for me. Prayers are what I covet, and what I am most grateful for, and at a time like now, I need every single one I can get. :-)
Let's face it, ladies and gents, this is not exactly the homecoming I was picturing for myself. Insurance claims galore, trying to rent different places to stay, a wheelchair, etc. It's a mess.
However....God is Sovereign.
Somewhere in this mess, there is a blessing. I can't really see it right now, but I have an amazingly supportive church family, and we are all trying to clip away at the bushes to get to the pathway...
So, as I close this blog post, I am in my fourth hotel in three months! Who knows? Maybe a gypsy lifestyle is for me after all!?
Please remember me in your prayers!
Grace, Love, Peace and Mercy!
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