Screeching to a halt.

Apparently, one shouldn't ask God for a pause button.

Turns out He has kind of a sick sense of humor about that sort of thing ....

In my last post I lamented my crazy, hectic day, fender bender, and fact that it seemed my various responsibilities were spinning out of my control.

Then Thursday I found myself enjoying a vigorous workout on the elliptical machine, when I thought I heard one of my dear children bellowing in the YMCA childwatch.

I took off my headphones, listened for a moment, didn't hear much, and put my headphones back on to continue my workout.

Then I heard it again.

And again.

As I pushed the elliptical pedals faster and faster, I kept looking toward the childwatch door, thinking I should go over and 1) find out if it was my children and 2) if it was, lay down the law.

At that moment my right foot slipped off the pedal and fell between the two pedals, which were spinning at a furious rate. The force of my leg wedged between the two stopped it immediately, and I quickly pulled my leg out, searing pain and all.

I won't torture you with vomit-inducing pictures, but suffice to say, my leg swelled up instantly and looked as though I had a small baseball lodged beneath my skin.

In the next minutes and hours, I had to give up all control of my carefully scheduled day, enlist the help of whatever friends and family could and submit to the situation.

My dear friend Nicole took Analise and Nicolas with her to a friend's house for the morning.

Lucas attended the prearranged Tiny Adventures program at the community center.

My mom left work immediately, picked me up and delivered me to the doctor, where she helped me negotiate getting out of the car, into the building, signing in, x-raying and examining.

In the days since, kind friends have delivered meals, offered words of encouragement, and carried me when I literally cannot walk.

The x-ray revealed no break, just a badly bruised bone (just as painful, but supposedly heals more quickly). So, crutches to stay off of it and Vicodin for the pain.

Hence, my mother took me home and planted me in the recliner, where I've spent the last two days watching her and my husband care for my children, home and various odds and ends that usually keep me running.

This reprieve has given me LOTS of time to begin reading, studying and charting out a plan for the exciting calling I've recently had the honor of accepting: Part-Time Interim Director of Confirmation Ministry for St. Peter Lutheran Church.

I'll save details of just exactly WHAT that means and WHY I'm doing it for my next post.

Suffice to say, I was struggling with how to fit it into an already busy life.

I think the message is, I'm going to have to let go of a few things (workout every day, always organized house) and entrust a few other things to others (hiring someone to help with the kids this summer).

The wonderful blessing is that now that I've had some time and space to really dig into the material and begin outlining where to begin, I am even more excited than before.

This opportunity is amazing ... and I am so lucky God called me to be a part of it.

Now, if that isn't a silver lining ...