June 17, 2007

• When The Rubber Hits The Road

   

  B"H

  It's 5:55 AM. I am just finishing a short shift (4 hours 2AM - 6AM) as a favor to my co-worker Mike. He needed to take off early so he could rest up and then get together with his family for Father's Day. I don't mind helping him out like this, and right now we could really use the extra money.

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  In case anyone is wondering about the title of this post, it's a pun based on yesterday's events. “What happened?” you may ask. Well, it all started as I was on my way to the Men's Bible Study at our congregation. Since we only live about a mile away from the church building, Penninah suggested, and I agreed, that it would be the responsible thing to do, to use my bike rather than take the car. It was also my turn to pick up the pastries for the group. I set out from our house on my bike at about 7:55 carrying a plastic bag with my Bible and a notebook in it. Just about 2 blocks down the road my cell phone rang.

  • ring ring ..... ring ring
  • "Hello, Shlomo speaking."
  • "Hey, this is Nevin. Johnny is here and he already brought a bunch of donuts, so you don't have to stop for them unless you're already in the store."
  • "No, I didn't get there yet, but I'm on my way."
  • "Oh ok, see you then."
  • "Yep, see you ........."
  • "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
  • "Oh my! Hey are you alright?"
  • "Can you move or get up?"
  • "Etc & etc ....."

  What took place just as I was ending my call with Nevin is the plastic bag with my Bible and notebook got caught in the spokes of the front tire and suddenly I went crashing into the road. A few people passing by and then several other neighbors who knew me then came over to check things out and try to help me. I got banged up a bit and have multiple cuts and scratches on both hands, but most notable is the bruises on my face. My teeth were hurting and I was immediately afraid that I may have lost or broken one or more. My upper lip was raw and bleeding as was also my right elbow.

  Paul, one of our friends and neighbors, ran the two blocks back to our house and rang the bell to inform Penninah that I had been hurt. Shortly, Penninah and Miriam came in the car with ice, wet towels and worried looks. Another friend, Mary, gave me ice and water so I could rinse my mouth and try to see just how badly I was injured. The Police were on the scene quickly, as well as an ambulance. There's a street festival in our neighborhood this weekend so I wasn't surprised to see the Police arrive so soon. The ambulance on the other hand only caused me to see $$$ signs before my eyes. I told the driver that I didn't think I would be needing his services, but thanks for the concern anyway.

  Penninah, Miriam and I went home and then started to weigh our options for what to do next - go to the clinic, go to the county hospital, see a dentist, etc. Since we don't have any health insurance, all medical decisions have to include financial concerns. We decided to go to the dental clinic, but on the way out of the neighborhood, we tried to find one of the several nurses we know who might give some advice as to whether I might need stitches in my lip or not. After driving around the corner and waiting just a few short minutes, Susan came over and told me that she thought I would need stitches. With that news, Penninah and I headed off to Lawndale, a neighborhood on the west side of Chicago. This is about a 35 - 40 minute ride from our house.

  At the clinic, Dr. Mangram was very gracious and gentle. He took a bunch of X-rays and poked around in my mouth, looking for any indications of trouble beyond what was obvious. The report from his manual inspection and the X-rays was negative. There doesn't appear to be any cracks or breaks in the roots of my teeth, so I should heal up pretty well in about a week or so. The cuts and tears on the inside of my mouth will heal the fastest, but all of it should mend itself in time.

  Besides talking about me and my condition, we informed Dr. Mangram that Ezra had joined the Navy last week. He, like all of us, had a mixed response of joy and pride, as well as a concern for his safety. At present, the US is involved in active fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan. If it weren't for those two facts, I would think that going into the military is a great thing. Anyway, for those of you reading this who didn't previously know, now you too have been informed of some of the changes going on in our lives lately.

  Last night, around 6:15 or so as scheduled, we had a send-off party for our upstairs neighbor Clare. I am going to write a separate post about new neighbors soon, but right now all I'm going to say is "Praise GOD for His faithfulness and loving-kindness!"

  (In a nutshell I would compare our current living situation to the guy who went off in search of true love around the world. He met this girl and that girl, but none of them were quite right for him. After having exhausted his money and resources, he came back home and fell in love with the girl next door. We, as a family, have been looking for fellow travelers to build a community with for many years. Now, when we had basically given up, the LORD has sent this lovely couple to live in this house with us and things are progressing just fine.)

  So, Clare is going away for 7 weeks while she takes classes towards her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in dance. We will miss her, so we decided to throw a small party as a send-off for her. Even though the day started with my injury and then proceeded with visits to both the dentist and the medical clinic, all went well in the evening as everyone had a great time. Clare’s husband, Dan, is a local Pastor in a Lutheran church. He often describes himself as the Sinister Minister, or the Pastor of Disaster. These are all puns generated by his real name Ruen. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce to you our singer for the evening, Rev. Ruen.” When people hear this for the first time, they surely think it’s a schtick, an act. Once Pastor Dan tells people that he really is a minister though, he has had many wonderful opportunities to listen and pray with folks who are in various ways estranged from GOD.

  After he finished eating, Dan brought out his guitar and sang several wonderful songs for us. This was so much everything that I have been wishing for, for a long time.

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  Hmmm, when I started this post, I said that the title was a pun based on the day’s events. Do you suppose that I should have titled it differently, like maybe,

  “When the Rider Hits the Road?”

  Blessings,

  Shlomo 

   

  • 8:55 am
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