After Brady was born on June 20th, things got a little “busy” to say the least. Mimi, Brian, and Brady lived in Daly City with my parents so that our mom could help out with some of the cooking. That meant I had the girls to myself on most days. Our days were split between activities that the girls wanted to do and visits to see baby Brady in Daly City. Let’s just say I slept very well by the time my body hit the sack every night. 🙂
You see those last 3 photos above, where the girls were having a blast at the water park? Raging Waters is one of the “must go” places for B&B every summer, but this was the first time that I brought them by myself AND went on the slides with them. I actually had a fantastic time, despite the semi-long lines under the scorching sun. At the end of the day, I was actually quite proud of myself, so when the girls begged to go on one last ride, I said yes without any hesitation.
Well, the “yes” became a very regrettable “yes” for me, because as I slid down that last water slide on an inner tube, I hit the water at full speed and as soon as I went under, an excruciating pain thundered through my left hand. I knew immediately I must have broken a bone.
When I resurfaced from the water in great agony, I looked at my hand and was horrified to see my ring finger was in the weirdest angle. I couldn’t move it at all, and based on the level of pain, I just knew it was bad news. The life guard helped me to sit down and called the park’s paramedic over to assist me. The girls were extremely concerned, but remained calm enough to comfort me and to take care of me while the paramedic asked me to repeat over and over again how the accident happened.
Long story short, it was an overwhelming end to a really fun day. We spent the next 3 hours in the emergency room getting my wedding ring cut off and splinting the injured finger. Two days later, I saw an orthopedist who gave me the dreadful news that I would need surgery right away.
I was really nervous about the surgery because it required general anesthesia, and I also felt frustrated that this injury was going to inevitably set me back in so many ways. Coming up, we had a trip planned to Kauai with the girls, I had 2 big weddings just a week apart from one another, and there were just so many activities I wanted to do with the girls before the end of summer. With my injury, I now had trouble with the simplest of tasks, like washing my own hair, or squeezing toothpaste, or putting clothes on.
Alas, the Bible reminded me of God’s comforting words…
“Fear not for I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you.” — Isaiah 41:10
In times of adversity, I find it more important than ever to rely on our Lord for strength and guidance. And so, through hard, consistent prayers He helped me to get through that uphill battle. I had to learn to let go of my own agenda and to follow God’s will for me. When God intervenes, we have to fully surrender and as hard as it was for me, I’m so glad I did, because His ways are always better than ours.
