After the Fall

The fall can come at any point in your life.  If you haven't fallen yet, that can be both a blessing and a curse.  It's a blessing because everything you touch turns to gold.  Your relationships are strong.  You don't have a worry in the world.  It's a curse because you don't know how to get back up when things fall apart.  I've become a champion of the fall, not because I wanted to but because circumstances beyond my control dragged me into a deep pit that was so dark I couldn't see any light.  My mother shared her words of wisdom during her "half-time" talk.  She was the coach who had been there, done that.  I was the banged up player who could barely see straight from all the punches the other side was throwing at me.

I came out in the third quarter of my life renewed and invigorated.  I knew more sacks were coming but I also understood I could become unstoppable as long as I was willing to always find a way to stand up after every fall.  My traffic accident four months ago is the best example.  Our oldest son shared what I told him while I was flat on my back in the hospital room.  "You were very specific when you instructed me to send a text message to my sister.  Over and over you told me to type keep climbing and text it to her.  The words had to be exact.  I didn't understand why you were so specific until weeks later," he said.

Our daughter was in the car with me when we were struck by an oncoming vehicle.  She was supposed to ride with me to the hospital in the ambulance but in the rush to get me to the trauma center she was left behind.  The roads were too difficult to navigate and we spent the night apart.  That text message was my "half time" message to her.  She knew exactly what it meant.  Those two words have a special meaning in our family.  They summarize what you do on a daily basis.  They are most important after the fall.  Have a great day.