Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Harp Exam!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I passed my Grade 6 harp exam with Merit! As poorly as I did in the exam, that surprised me. Not that I didn't know my stuff...it was just that I was sick and was also so nervous that my hands would not stop shaking. But, I remembered the advice of many teachers, and just kept plodding through, and did not stop. :-)

God is gracious! :-D

Due to the advice of my very wise and thoughtful teacher--Miss Anna Knight, I will not be taking exams this fall. After attending a WONDERFUL harp masterclass, we both agreed that it would be advisable for me to put exams aside for a while, and focus more on technique. This is good news for many reasons, but the main ones that are coming to mind right now, are the facts that (1) I do not know how long it will take me to fully recover from that car accident, and (2) this will allow Donald to have a stress-free wife for a while. :-)

Anyway, just thought I'd post that right quick. Now my back is complaining from my sitting at the computer to write this, so I shall bid you adieu until next time, and go back to my comfy chair and my book. :-) (And Julie, just so you know, while I've been confined to the sofa, I have been reading some of our favorites: Ishmael and Self Raised. They definitely help pass the time. Now, I just need to see if I can get my hands on a copy of "What Katy Did" for old time's sake.) ;-)

Oh, and just so you all know, I've been seeing the chiropractor regularly, and he says that I have much improved over the last week and a half, and that I am far better than he expected me to be. Course, when I heard that, I thought, "If I'm still feeling bad, but am better than he expected, I don't even want to know what he expected..." But again, God is abundantly gracious and merciful. :-)

Ta Ta For Now,
Melody

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Lord willin' and the crik don't rise...

James 4:13-15 says, "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

This verse hit home more than ever on Thursday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m.

The plan was to go to lunch with my sister-in-law, and then go bowling as an after school/after harp exam celebration. Maria came over to my house, where we watched a movie, and then hopped in the car to go out for lunch. Scarcely 10 minutes from my home, our plans abruptly came to an end. While sitting at a stop light, I heard Maria gasp, scream, and then *BANG.* The impact of the jeep hitting us at about 40 mph while we were sitting still threw me forward and then back into my headrest. I have never hit my head on anything so hard. It suddenly occurred to my wondering mind that we had just had a wreck. Maria got out of the car to go assess the damage and tell the driver of the Jeep that we needed to pull over into a nearby parking lot. After the police arrived, they issued the man a ticket (the man apparently saw neither us nor the red light), and filled out the accident report.

In the mean time, my head started throbbing, and my lower back and neck began to ache. I wrapped my arms around myself to give my back some support. One of the police officers seeing this came over and asked if I was pregnant! I answered, "No, I'm afraid that I am not." He said, "Okay, I just wanted to make sure, because I saw how you were holding your lower back and stomach." I informed him that my back was hurting, and that was the reason for my actions. He then asked if Maria and I needed an ambulance. We assured him that we did not need one, and that the only thing bothering us were our backs and necks.

Finally, after all was over, Maria and I looked at each other and agreed that not only did we not want to go bowling now, but that we weren't hungry anymore. In fact, I was feeling somewhat nauseous. So, we headed home, where we obtained some Advil to help ease the growing pain in our heads and backs. By that evening, we were both so sore we could barely move.

So, yesterday morning, we both went to my chiropractor. After a thorough examination, he informed us that we both had whiplash, and that we must wear a cervical collar for the next week or two. He said, however, that of the two, my case was the worst (which is not surprising, due to the back injury I had two years ago, from which I still have not fully recovered). In fact, he told Maria that back-wise, I was years older than her (and she's 4 years older than me!). I am confined to pretty much just resting--No laundry, scrubbing toilets or bathtubs, no practicing harp...basically none of my normal activities for the next week or so. :-( I'm just glad this happened after harp exams, rather than before...

Anyway, the long and short of it is, I'm in a good deal of pain, albeit not quite so severe as it was two years ago, because then I was dealing with not only whiplash, but a slipped disc as well. However, this has set me back quite a ways, and I'm going to have to be really careful for a while, in order to get over this quickly.

God has His reasons, I know, and I'm not at all upset that He let this happen. I'm just thankful that he protected our lives, and kept us from being injured worse than we are--and that he also protected Maria's car, so that the damage was actually worse to the guy that hit us. His saving and protecting hand was definitely with us, and I am so grateful to Him that He hid us under the shelter of His wings. May His name be praised. :-)

Well, I have sat here typing for a while now, and think I need to call it quits. My neck is beginning to complain about sitting up, so I best go put ice on it again. Thanks for all your prayers and support. May the Lord of glory be with you all.

Love,
Melody