Broken

It was only a matter of time. 

I'm surprised we got by this long with five boys and no stitches or broken bones (not counting the cracked sternum or the stitches for Zachy's and Alex's surgeries, since those were intentional.) With my hyperactive brood, I knew we had it coming. And last week the calmest of my five fell victim as he played on a stationary exercise bike. The pedal smacked him in just the right spot, and he hobbled around for nearly a week with unalarming complaints before we decided to have it checked. He even surprised the doctor, who suspected just a deep bruise but ordered an x-ray just in case. "It's broken!" he announced in disbelief, pointing to the film which indicated a deep gouge in Joseph's little tibia. So Joe wins the prize for the first of five to sport a cast, and I'm afraid there may be several more down the road before they all make it into adulthood.

Fortunately Joseph's injury will heal and he will be fine. Unfortunately, his leg is not the only thing to break around here lately.

Last Wednesday Wichita was pounded by an intense hailstorm that dropped softball-sized hailstones on the west side of town.

Steve was caught in the thick of it on his way home from work, and our car sustained considerable damage to the roof, hood, and windshield.  Thank God, Steve wasn't hurt.  But this morning our insurance agent called to inform that the car has been totaled--repairs will cost more than the value of the car.  This, just a week after a $350 repair on its window mechanism.  I guess that's how these things happen...

Our roof was damaged as well, and will need several repairs or most likely a total replacement (just four years after a previous roof replacement.)  That's what you get for living in Kansas.  Those storms are beautiful, but they are fierce!

Alex is currently battling severe eye allergies that don't respond to antihistamines and eye drops.  It's the same drill each fall until a good freeze...  The itching causes him to rub his eyes raw until they are red and puffy.  On the upside, I suppose he can go without a mask this Halloween; his own eyes are scary enough!

David has suffered with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder his entire life, but things have been especially difficult for him this school year.  On Tuesday he went for an EEG to rule out more serious problems.

To our relief, a call the next day confirmed that he has no seizure activity. But we must wait until October to discuss more details of the test with his neurologist.

So, with all around here that is "broken," with all these extra expenses and inconveniences that seem to keep piling up, I wonder if God's trying to tell us something. I wonder if these are signs that now is not the right time to move, that we should stay and enjoy our current home a bit longer. It's hard to know. The best we can do is to continue to pray about it, to be thankful for each other and all we have, and to take one day at a time. So maybe we're temporarily "out of service." So what? We'll soon be on the mend and charging ahead full-throttle.

It's only a matter of time!