I During one of my last weeks at Caprock HS, I had come in at noon because I did not feel well. As soon as I walked in my office, I noticed a plant that one of my co-workers had left on my desk, along with a note. For some reason I started to cry and I went to find one of my friends so I could just talk to someone who knew me well and knew what all I was going through. Seeing the plant and note on my desk made me really realize I was going. Not staying. My brain knew I was going but my heart did not know. My friend and I talked and then I went back to my office feeling a little better, but darn it! I had left my laptop computer at home! I would have to turn around, go back home to get it, to get any work done. And I did not feel well, UGH! Are you kidding? It's the last thing I feel I can do. But I go outside and head to my car anyway to run home.
At the same time I am walking out, a teacher is walking out of another building also headed to the parking lot. Mr. Pennington had left his lunch at home and was going to get something to eat. 99% of the time he brings his lunch, so me running into him at that time was serendipitous. He caught up with me and said he wanted to talk to me about my illness. He knew I had recently submitted my resignation. God put him there to unknowingly encourage me on a bad day.
He said that a few years ago he had accidentally cut off the top of one of his fingers when he had taken his son fishing. He was able to get the top of his finger and take it with him to the hospital. The doctor had told him there was no point on reattaching the missing digit because it would just rot and fall off. Russ (Mr. Pennington) told the doctor he wanted it back on anyway and they could just see what would happen. He and his family prayed intently for his finger and underneath the dead fingertop, a new finger was growing. He showed me his hand and it looked fine. He told me that just because a doctor told me that my disorder will not get better, it can. He encouraged me to continue to pray for healing and he would pray for me, too.
I got in my car so I could hurry home and get my laptop and was so thankful to hear that story. It made me smile and I was encouraged. I feel God put us both in an unusual place at an unusual time to boost my spirits after crying in the library. God surrounded me with encouragement during those last few weeks at work. What a gift.---so that is my finger story. I like it. I think about it frequently because it's simple and it's meaningful. Also, I will mention that Russ was selected as Amarillo ISD's secondary teacher of the year. Wow. I'm sure that the encouragement he gave me and the words of the Lord he spoke over me are also in his heart when he is the classroom.
One of my doctors told me that I was probably born with this condition (syringomyelia and myelomalacia) and I have just aged enough for it to start bothering me. Now that some time has passed since he told me that, I think he was absolutely right. There have been times when I was under a ton of stress at work or home and I would become someone I didn't even know. I would shut down and avoid as much as possible to avoid pain. It probably started surfacing about 10 years ago and it has just ramped up. About 5 years I started to avoid the holidays as much as possible. A few years ago, Julia and I were flying to South Carolina and had a lay over in Houston. I found a huge cushy chair and told my daughter to wake me up in an hour because I was exhausted. Never in my life would I leave her alone and do that under normal circumstances, but I could not stay awake. I would immediately fall back to sleep on the airplane. On fun trips with my co-workers, I could not keep up with them because of fatigue. I have always felt kind of guilty for these kinds of things.
I still wish I could do what I did 20 years ago, but now I know why I could not over the past 10 years.
By the way, today I accepted a job with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It is about 10 hours a week. It is 25% of what I used to work but I feel it's all I can do. I'm excited to be a part of this ministry. When I took my ACE job, I feel that God put the pieces together for that to happen and that's also I how I feel in this situation. I am blessed. All of the time.
Mr. Carter, this one is for you. :)
