On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
It happened a week ago Wednesday and I am still trying to grasp it. Rationally we all know that our lives can change in an instant, whether due to a phone call with bad news, a diagnosis or an accident. But to see it happening is another thing altogether.
Our daughter visited with us Labor Day through Wednesday. We basically chilled, drank coffee and watched movies. We did throw in a couple of trips to town with lunch out. She had spent the preceding Friday, Saturday and Sunday on a high school friends weekend to celebrate their turning 50. We, meaning me, were thrilled to care for her dog, Ollie. He missed her terribly and it made me sad. I confess to giving him some extra treats to cheer him up.
Wednesday our daughter wanted to get an early start on her drive home and we almost had her car loaded when disaster struck.
My husband had placed an ice chest on a stair-climbing cart and began to move down the first step. He was having a little trouble getting the cart to roll. I saw him pull up on the cart and then the cart was tumbling down the stairs with my husband following.
Before I could grasp what happened, my husband was lying flat on his back in the yard. He fell forward, so he must have flipped at some point to land on his back.
Our daughter and I ran to him not sure what we would find. He didn’t hit his head or any place on his body during the fall. His only complaint was that his shoulder hurt.
Now let me tell you the miraculous part. There is no way his body could have traveled this far without bouncing on the stairs. I had to use the panoramic setting to take this picture. The flower pot on the porch marks where the fall began and the flower pot in the yard is where he landed.
Surely he was carried by an angelic being.
He was able to walk on his own into the house and we talked for a few minutes. Gradually he began to find it a bit difficult to take a deep breathe followed by severe pain. Our daughter volunteered to drive us to the ER. I was so glad she was with me.
It took a hefty dose of pain medicine to reduce his discomfort. After head to pelvis CT scans, the doctor gave us the great news that nothing was broken. However his lower lung was severely bruised.
The doctor confided that he had been expecting multiple broken ribs and an air transport to a larger hospital.
Although he has been diligent using the incentive spirometer and deep breathing, he felt congested today. A cautionary trip to a clinic showed no fluid/pneumonia and in fact revealed that the bruising was receding.
Every time I look out the front door I am amazed and thankful that this incident didn’t result in a life changing event. I give God the glory.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I’m a general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books
My 2024 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.
Old Things R New 