Falling Forward

I recently saw a picture of a beautiful piece of furniture with a caption that caught my eye: “A Fainting Couch.” It made me smile.  I love old furniture.  I love my last name.  I love when my last name and my life circumstances align in the form of furniture.    I was excited at the God-sized thought of writing a blog about my journey with the tagline:  afaintingcouch until my husband Shane drove me to run errands and I found myself literally looking around the store for my OWN fainting couch because  I was dizzy and clammy again.  Laughter is good medicine if it is timed right.  Not quite the right time that day.  Today is a better day. 

You see, a few months back I had two grand mal seizures early in the morning that crash-landed me on my head… twice.  My journey with head trauma began when I had brain surgery 9 years ago to remove a large tumor.  The Dr.’s were afraid my tumor was growing back.  Turns out, I have another issue, epilepsy.  It is unrelated, apparently an anomaly. A fluke, my neurologist called it.  “Why now?” is still unanswered, but God knows and He always has a plan.  My job is to trust Him.

It had been three months of recovery, from being stuck in an ER hallway with head pain some of you may very well be able to imagine, with slamming doors and crowds of individuals suffering more than me. Suffering is so tough.  I was dressed in a mustard yellow gown, and not the golden mustard leaf color that I like to wear this time of year.  More like the “hot dog mustard on your shirt you can’t get out” kind.  I later learned this color indicated I was a fall risk. 

I was told that night I would lose my drivers license for 3 months.  But when I started writing to you I was sitting in the DMV with a new crowd of people surrounding me and a paper in hand stating that I am fit to drive.  From fear to fitness in the course of 3 months.  God’s view of fitness, mind-you, but that’s mine too.

This blog is going to be a place to share my journey, offer my insights as a fellow sojourner and as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT & LPCC & Ordained Minister) who enjoys offering grace and truth through the lens of Jesus and psychology as I attempt to walk and practice.  I hope you are encouraged by what you read and find purpose in your own journey.  As I said, laughter is such good medicine if it’s timed right.  So I will take a seat (literally) and you are welcome to grab some coffee or tea, and we can all settle in so that we can grow together as fellow Fainting Couch’s.

Marty