One Foot In Heaven

I am still trying to get used to this disability, what makes it hard is other people's reactions!

Take Sunday for instance:

I would be willing to guess that I had well over one hundred women bending over my wheelchair to give me a hug ...  I know by name only, perhaps, six women in the entire church.  No one is on hug status with me.  And, every single one of those women managed to put one of their hands exactly on the socket of one arm or the other - which is still very painful from my over doing it on Thursday ... it is not their fault, even just a handshake or to hold my hand while gushing would be sufficient I think and less creepy to me.

But, lets advance into the real realm of creepy and we have a host of men doing exactly the same thing!  What the heck? The only men on hugging status with me is Swede and Dutchman - whom I still have not seen since the last heart stint!  But a few guys had the reality of common sense to just shake my hand.  Thank Heavens!

I mean really, what was with all of these strangers?  Was there some meeting during the week to set this up?  Did I miss an eMail?  I am still a bit taken back by this!  And, really, the one person I would like to have talked to was a woman whom sent the most sensitive card to me while I was in the hospital.  I even have it still singled out to reply to because it was that well thought out and appreciated.  But, I know I had never even heard her name before, so I have no clue whom she even is church.  Another lady, whom I know from sharing child care duties with, I will also have to respond to because her card was very personal and she needs to know that is okay - she bared her soul, I am obliged to respond I guess.

An outpouring of care from a large host of by and large, unknown people.  It concerns me.  Why this?  Why now?  Why me?  For years I am just ignored by this congregation - but chop a limb off and everyone wants to be your buddy.  I honestly do not get it.

But, for the most humorous, is the mother of many of the kids from my Sunday School class days here.  She walked up and in her odd clipped second language, English, said, "Vell, how are you?  I have been concerned since you already have one foot in Heaven ..."  I burst out laughing.

Of course we are discussing the still socially awkward me here - and apparently this was not quite the reaction she had been expecting.  Sigh ...  So after she had stormed off, I thought on this.  If she had been serious, what on Earth was she thinking?  Utter mystery.

At lunch, she sent her husband over to my table and he gave me her copy of a book called, "One Foot In Heaven".  Apparently, she was making a strange comment about a book she assumed I had read.  I did read it Monday night, as I could not sleep, and no - it was not a book I would have ever picked up much less read on my own.  It is a story of an American pastor in Israel, whom lost a foot to a landmine and his on going ministry.  It would have been a real sleeper except that Bob Lindsey was actually one of my mother's friends while she was working on her doctorate in archaeology from Hebrew University, and various digs in Israel for several decades.  Yeah, mother took off while we were still in high school to be an archaeologist.  So, interesting to learn something about someone she used to talk about in her letters.  Conversely, I am reminded of this was also when my youngest brothers and sister were lost.  Sigh, she does not care one way or another ...

My uncle's response to my situation involved him send me a joke plastic severed leg and foot.  Lord knows where he found it, I thought it quite funny.  I was even going to ask the surgeon if he could use it last Friday to finish the job he started.  Alas, he did not show up at the cast cutting.  Phooey!

But, as I have thought on this odd book title, I am stuck with the idea that the authors do not really understand that my foot does not appear in Heaven until I do (I think).  If you believe in a bodily resurrection, as I do, then my missing foot is part of this still existent body, and will not appear in Heaven without the rest of me.

Personally, I would not recommend this book.  It is a fine book about a man's life, but it in no way will help you with your personal walk in the Lord.  Although his missing foot is central the book's idea, it is not treated with any seriousness at all.  Read instead something which will build up your faith and make you stronger.  Consider any of the writings of Bonhoeffer or Francis Schaeffer, much to ponder from these writers and far more eternally valuable ...