Just as I am recovering from my broken elbow and sprained wrist, just as the doctor told me I can start doing some more normal, everyday things, we are struck by illness. Two weeks ago, L.(5) got a stomach bug and then C.(13) was struck with something (something that, thankfully, passed quickly).

Also, I am now two weeks into fever and extreme coughing that show no signs of abatement. The folks at the local clinic tell me that I might have whooping cough (which is going around our area — yippee!), or I might have bronchitis, or I might have something viral that is just really nasty. Regardless of the true nature of the infection I’m fighting, they put me on three medications. I sure hope one of them brings me some relief.

The hard part is the lack of sleep. If I so much as slightly recline, my coughing spasms kick into a high and relentless gear. So I spend my days — and my nights — in an upright position, hoping that the exhaustion will win out over the coughing and the odd sleeping position, and that I’ll be able to accumulate more than three or four hours of sleep over the course of a night. I know that if I got some decent sleep, the days would not seem so overwhelming.

Sadly, L.(5) just came down with another fever today. I don’t even want to know what it will become. I hope it’s not whatever I have — I wouldn’t want to see his poor frame wracked with these breath-stealing coughs.

Here’s something else I’ll be honest about: I don’t want to be a whiner. Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, there is definitely a part of me that wants to whine, to complain about the unfairness of one little struggle after another.

But no, on the whole, I don’t want to be a whiner. I don’t want to be a person (or have a blog) characterized by whiny-ness.

I told my husband today that I know God has things to teach me, but that, apparently, I am a slow learner. Perhaps He needs to keep me slowed down, at home, in complete reliance on Him. Perhaps I need a greater helping of patience, of contentment, of gratitude.

Wouldn’t it be nice if God would just fix us while we sleep? If we could get a supernatural injection of the character and integrity and godliness that we need? If patience were implanted into us while we dream, or full reliance on God were something we just woke up to?

But God uses the circumstances of this life — the good ones, the difficult ones, the little annoyances and interruptions, and the heartbreaking situations — to draw us to Himself and to make us more like Jesus.

So today, while I pray for healing and recovery here in this house, I also pray that God would use this time for good, that He would redeem these weeks for His glory and our (my) growth.

And I turn to some Bible verses that I relied on heavily after my initial injury. I share them with you today, just in case you are going through a hard time. You may be going through something incredibly challenging and heartbreaking (and, in fact, I know that several of my readers are facing seemingly-insurmountable heartaches). Or, like me, you might just be feeling overwhelmed by the buildup of one little struggle after another. Either way, I hope these words help to remind you of the One who sees you and loves you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
- Psalm 73:26

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
- 1 Peter 5:7

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
- Isaiah 40:31

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?
- Luke 12:25

…All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
- Psalm 139:16

Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.
- Romans 12:12

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
- Psalm 46:1

My elbow fracture(s) are not yet healed, though my doctor was hoping they would be by 6 weeks. So that means that for now, I’m still not allowed to do anything weight-bearing with my arm. No opening jars, carrying laundry baskets, etc. However, the fracture is healing in “almost perfect” alignment, which is fantastic news, and makes it more and more likely that surgery will not be needed. My wrist is sprained more badly than originally thought, so that means more patience, more rest, more time. I started physical therapy last week, for both my elbow and wrist. I have 3 appointments per week, plus exercises to do twice a day, followed by icing, so my schedule is filling up with all things arm-related. But after just a few days, I had gained a few degrees of flexion in my elbow (YAY!). I have quite a way to go yet, but the progress gives me hope and motivation!

***

Now for the real point of this post. I wanted to take some time to list a few of the many things I’m thankful for, as I look back over the past 7+ weeks since I first fell and injured myself. It’s easy to complain; it’s easy to get discouraged. But it’s also easy to be thankful, because God’s grace is abundant and obvious. Here are just a few ways He has shown me grace:

• My amazing husband and kids. Seriously, they have been fantastic. They help around the house, make sure I’m comfortable, pray for me, encourage me, carry things, fold things, lift things, move things, vacuum things, fix things, open things, close things. And they love me, even when I’m feeling particularly useless and unloveable.

• Friends and family. So many people have been there for me. My mom has watched L.(5) while I’ve gone to numerous doctor appointments (in addition to all the usual babysitting she does). Friends and family members have checked in on me, prayed for me, helped me. One friend insisted on preparing (and carrying) my coffee at a recent meeting. Two others told me (they didn’t ask, they just insisted) that they would be bringing us dinner — the dinners were delicious, by the way. Other friends helped us at a church dinner I took the boys to while Chad was out of town — everything from pouring my drink to cutting up L.’s chicken. In countless big and little ways, I’ve been so blessed by those around me.

• This day and age. This might sound shallow, but I’m thankful to be living in a time when we have dishwashers and washing machines, automobiles and microwaves, even a laptop computer. I take these conveniences for granted far too often, but when folding a load of laundry starts taking three times as long as it used to, you quickly become thankful for all the time-saving gear we have at our disposal.

• Adaptation. It’s amazing how skilled you become at using your non-dominant hand when you really need to. I’m becoming a pro at left-handed makeup application, coffee preparation, driving, typing, and peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich-making. Handwriting…well, that would take longer. Thankfully, I’m now able to use my right hand for short periods of writing and typing, so no one has to worry about deciphering too much of my left-handed scribbling.

• Time. Because there is much I either cannot or am not allowed to do, I find myself with some additional time sitting around. Yes, some of it is at the physical therapist’s, but still, it’s time. It’s been a blessing to use that time for more reading, more praying, more pondering.

• Progress. Admittedly, these seven weeks have been a very looooong seven weeks. The journey to full recovery seems achingly slow at times. Yet there is progress. The pain has gradually decreased, my flexibility is slowly returning, and I will hopefully be back to semi-normal function within the next month or two. The progress has been gradual, but it’s there, and I’m so thankful for it.

Those are just a few things I’m thankful for. I could list many more, but this blog post is getting long. If you’ve read the whole thing and you’ve been following along with me the last month-and-a-half, thank you!  Though I know I’m a sporadic poster even during the best of times, my forced break has made me miss this blog quite a bit, and I hope to post a bit more regularly as healing allows!

But I had to check in today and ask how all of you are doing with your Spring Reading Thing 2012 goals. We’re a little more than a month into the challenge. How’s it going?

I have settled into a good reading routine, since I do a whole lot of sitting around these days. At this point, I’ve read all of the fiction books on my list, plus a couple more novels. I’m still working my way through the nonfictions, making decent progress, but I’ve definitely been in more of a fiction mood recently. I’ve also found that reading from my Kindle is much easier than reading traditional books, while I’m limited to one arm. So I’ve been taking advantage of the goodness that is my Kindle, plus checking out the ebooks available for download from our local library.

But enough about me. How is your spring reading going? Are you making progress toward your goals? Sticking to your list or changing things up a bit? Inquiring minds want to know!

Follow your usual nighttime routine. After everyone is in bed, get a cup of water for your nightstand, turn off all the lights in the house, and make sure the front door is locked. Proceed to the front door in the dark, since you know your way around the house very well, thankyouverymuch.

This is key: Forget that a very large, very heavy box was delivered today, and is likely still sitting in the entryway, a few feet in front of the front door.

Step 2

Trip over aforementioned very large, very heavy box. Realize that you are unable to get your feet back under you because the box is too big. Insanely clutch that cup of water, because spilling water would be undesireable.

Step 3

Catch yourself — all your weight, all your momentum — on the front door with your right arm. Attempt to hold yourself up with that arm while gravity insists on pulling you down. Also, drop cup of water as the pain makes you forget everything around you.

***

There you have it. That’s all it took. I’ll save you some of the gory details, but between the impact and the battle between my arm and gravity, I managed to fracture my elbow (technically a “radial head fracture”), sprain my wrist, and damage all sorts of things in between my wrist and elbow.

It happened in about one second, and has drastically impacted my life over the last three weeks…and for the foreseeable future. I do not recommend following the above steps in your own home. At all!

I am not a screamer. When I get hurt, I’m more the type to grit my teeth and mutter incomprehensible things under my breath. But that night, I yelled. I woke Chad up, I made C.(13) run out of his room to see what in the world was going on. It was out of character for me, but in hindsight, was understandable. My orthopedist has declared my injury “significant,” so some yelling and some tears were certainly justifiable.

Three weeks in, I’m hanging in there. There has been a whole lot of pain and discomfort, and I’ve lost a huge amount of the range of motion in my right arm (can’t straighten it and can barely bend it past 90 degrees). I can do very, very little with my right arm at this point .

And I may or may not need surgery. Elbows are apparently notorious for being difficult. At any point during the healing process, the bone parts could displace, resulting in a need for surgery (essentially replacing the end of the fractured bone with some prosthetic part). At the one-week mark, it had been healing well, but the doctor said that just meant “no surgery…yet.” Today, we’ll take another look.

In the midst of this whole ordeal, there have been some very bright spots. God’s grace is abundant, and I’ll blog more about those bright spots another day.

I will say, though, that I know my injury did not catch God off guard. The day I was born, He knew that at age 38, I’d have a painful encounter with a door, and would struggle with pain, discouragement, and questions, while finding myself thankful for His grace and faithfulness, and the kindness and help of others. I firmly believe that He weaves things together for His glory, and for the good of those who are His. I pray that my eyes and heart would be open to what He has to teach me.

This was my view for about 2.5 days last week. We made a quick trip to Barbados (Chad had a business meeting and the rest of us tagged along). The trip was planned months before my injury, and for a while, we didn’t know if I’d be able to go. But the doctor gave me the go-ahead — with the caveat that I should sit still and do nothing while we were there. So we went. Our two travel days were a bit rough — complete with me setting off the airport security alarm, both ways! But the two days there were very nice. The kids spent the mornings at the pool and afternoons playing in the sand and waves. Following doctor’s orders, I did a whole lot of nothing.

It was nice to not have to worry about preparing meals or making beds for a few days. Warmth and the sound of the ocean weren’t bad either!

I plan to give you the whole injury and follow-up story this coming week. I go to the doctor Monday for my third round of x-rays, and for the next conversation about whether or not I will need surgery. I would certainly appreciate prayers for a good report, no needed surgery, and continued healing.

Unfortunately, my arm injury (as mentioned in my list post) makes it very difficult for me to comment on your blogs, as typing takes forever with my left hand. So I will likely not be leaving comments, but please know that I’m reading them, and that I appreciate all of you who are participating!

Thank you so much for being part of this challenge, and I hope you truly enjoy your spring reading!

P.S. And yes, one of these days, I will tell you the whole story of my elbow fracture and give you an update!

I hope you’re ready to read! And whatever you’re reading for this challenge, I hope you enjoy each and every book!

Here’s a brief recap of how to be a part of Spring Reading Thing 2012:

• Make a list of books you want to read (or finish reading) this spring. Your list can be as long or as short as you’d like. (Also, feel free to modify your list during the challenge if it’s not working for you.)

• Write a blog post containing your list and submit it to this post using the Mr. Linky below.

• Get reading! The challenge goes from today, March 20th, through June 20th.

• Check out other participants’ lists and add to your own to-read-someday pile!

• Write a post about your challenge experience in June, telling us all about whether you reached your goals and how Spring Reading Thing went for you. But remember: this is a low-pressure challenge that should be fun. As long as you do some reading this spring (and enjoy it!), that’s good enough for me.

There’s a Mr. Linky at the end of this post. Please use it to link to your blog post containing your Spring Reading Thing list. Remember to link to your specific post, not just your general blog homepage. People will be stopping by for days (or weeks!) and when you link to your specific post, it will make it easier for everyone to find your reading list. Also, if you don’t mind, please link back here from your post so that your readers can come check out all the other participants.

Okay, it’s time to get started. Post your list, grab a mug of your favorite beverage, and check out all the other bloggers who love to read as much as you do!

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I will be giving away two prizes as part of Spring Reading Thing 2012:

1. A $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com
2. A $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To be eligible for these prizes, you must:

• Post your intitial Spring Reading Thing 2012 post (and enter it on the linky list on my blog) by midnight on March 24th.
• AND post a wrap-up post on your blog at the end of the challenge (and enter it on the linky list I’ll have up then) by midnight on June  24th.

That’s it. I’ll randomly draw the winners shortly after the end of the challenge.

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For more information about Spring Reading Thing 2012, check out these previous posts:

• The Basics
• Posting Guidelines

Note: There is NO limit to when people can sign up to participate in Spring Reading Thing 2012. You’re welcome to join in any time between now and June! The “deadlines” mentioned in the above prize section are only for prize eligibility.

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That should cover all the details. Link up below and let’s get reading!

Was your link deleted? Check the Posting Guidelines to make sure you followed the rules. If you think your link was deleted by mistake, feel free to contact me.

So for Spring Reading Thing 2012, my goal is to finish the three books I’m currently reading, to read four additional novels, and to read two additional nonfiction books.

Here are the specifics.

Books to finish:

Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life by Douglas Wilson
Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

New books to read:

Fiction:

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Nick of Time (A Bug Man Novel) by Tim Downs
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James

Nonfiction:

Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself by Joe Thorn
Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing by L. L. Barkat

**

I usually love to do a more elaborate post, with a picture of each book’s cover and a little blurb about why I chose each book, but sadly, that’s a lot harder to do in my current state. Perhaps when my arm is better, I’ll come back and add to this post.

In the meantime, each book is linked to Amazon, so feel free to click over and explore my selections.

And don’t forget to check out the other Spring Reading Thing 2012 participants! You can find them at the official launch post. Happy Spring Reading!

One Dr. Seuss book that both of my kids really liked is And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. The main character has a rich imagination — something my boys can relate to! And the simple story combined with detailed and fun illustrations made this book one that was pulled from the shelf over and over.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a new iPad app from Oceanhouse Media — an interactive version of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. If you’re curious, check out my review on 5 Minutes for Books.

And if you’re interested in possibly reviewing toddler and preschool apps for review on 5 Minutes for Books, click over to get more information from Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan at the bottom of my review!

1. Write your post before you sign up on the linky list that goes live on March 20th. I know that it can be tempting to try to get your name near the top of a reading challenge participant list, but please, please have your post written and published on your blog before you add your name to the linky list. If I click on your name/link and do not see your post and reading list, or if it takes me to a post that says, “I’m going to join the Spring Reading Thing, but I don’t have my list yet. But I’ll do it soon.” or something like that… I’m sorry, but I will have to delete your entry from the list. Not because I’m mean, but because it’s simply not fair to the other participants who have already prepared their lists and blog posts. Of course, once you have your post/list up, you are more than welcome to come back and submit your name again.

2. Use a permalink when you sign up. In other words, use the linky list to link directly to your Spring Reading Thing post, not just the main address (front page) of your blog. When you see the linky list here on March 20th, you’ll find a space marked “Your name” where you can type your name (or the name of your blog, or whatever you’d like) and a space under it for “Your URL,” or website address. In that space, you’ll need to put a “permalink” to your Spring Reading Thing post.

For example, instead of something like:

http://myniftyblog.com

You’d want something like this:

http://myniftyblog.com/2012/03/spring-reading-thing.html

I completely made those addresses up, but you get the idea. Blogging Basics 101 has an article on how to find the “permalink” to a particular post HERE.

Once again, your link will be deleted if it does not go to a specific post (the one with your reading list). And again, I’m not being picky about this to be mean, but rather as a courtesy to all involved. People will be checking out everyone’s lists throughout the spring challenge, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your list. That means submitting a link to your specific post, rather than a general link to your blog.

If you have tried, and read the post at Blogging Basics 101, and are still having trouble figuring out your permalink, please feel free to contact me (just click the “contact me” button under my header). I would be glad to help you and to get you signed up on the linky list with the correct link. Depending on the volume of email, it might take me a little while to get back to you, but I definitely will. I want you to be part of Spring Reading Thing 2012!

3. Keep your post family-friendly. I realize that, with potentially hundreds of challenge participants, Spring Reading Thing is going to represent readers of various reading interests. However, I do request that you keep your “official” Spring Reading Thing post (the one you add to the linky list) family-friendly and “clean.” In other words, please make sure that any book titles or book covers you include would be safe for little eyes to see. I’ve had kids participate in my reading challenges in the past, and I just want to make sure the links presented on the official Spring Reading Thing list are safe for them. Links to posts with explicit titles or covers may be deleted. Please feel free to check with me ahead of time if you’re not sure about a particular book.

4. Get ready to read! Personally, I plan to abandon all housekeeping this spring, so I can focus exclusively on reading. Okay, maybe I won’t go that far, but I do hope to rearrange my schedule a bit to fit in some more reading. I also plan to visit many Spring Reading Thing participants, to find out what they’ll be reading this spring and to share our mutual love of books and reading. I encourage you to visit other participants as well. It’s fun to be in the challenge; but it’s even more fun to enjoy the challenge with others.

One other note:

My plan right now is to put up the official Spring Reading Thing 2012 launch post at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, March 20th. If for any reason that time will change, I’ll let you know.

Wondering what this “Spring Reading Thing” is all about? Visit my post about The Basics to find out!