Thinking back when I was in High school I was very active. I was on dance line, track and swim team..For dance line when our football team won, which they always did. Not to brag but we always went to the state championship (In the New Orleans Super Dome pictured below ) We ended the night by doing kicks on the sideline of whatever the score was halfway down the field and back. For track it was typical to run three miles at time and how I still had energy to spare was beyond me. Looking back I don’t even know how I even functioned after our track practices, they were insane. Thanks to Coach Dawson. As time has gone by I have always been an active person and pursued a healthy lifestyle. I revolved my life around being active.
I remember still being in the hospital and thinking of all I use to be able to do meanwhile doing one of my very first therapy sessions, which consisted of pumping my feet up and down off the ground. That was it.. feet up and down ..up and down.. while I sat in a wheelchair. My legs trembled and my heart shuttered at my lack of ability. .time went by and each morning I knew it was go time again & I attempted each task & worked my way up to more and more.
After I was well enough to get out of the hospital rehab, I started at an outpatient therapy center, I worked on balance and strength training. One exercise was standing on one leg with my eyes closed, that was such a challenge especially for my left leg where my flesh wound was. We don’t realize how our sight affects our balance. Did I mention I was seeing double for a while in the hospital. Yeah, I was. I remember looking up seeing three clocks one day asking why I had two extra in the room. Thankfully that cleared up and went away by Gods healing touch. More exercises included the leg press with both legs & it wasn’t as bad as isolating one leg at a time, but my left leg most days just wasn’t having it..but my right leg was a breeze. I was excited when my left reps were done and I got to switch to my right leg. haha.
I was really excited at the beginning to be doing therapy, I was getting to be active again but then It was such a struggle, It killed me that it didn’t come easy like I was so accustomed & I couldn’t do what I was use to. Nothing felt the same. I wanted to just put my headphones on like I always did and run till everything faded away. I couldn’t. I had to face everything head on. I was hurting in so many ways. Literally physically and then so much emotionally.
I wanted to hear my alarm going off to get up and be at work hustling making money like I was use to and taking care of my clients. Not waking up to learn to function again.. I wanted to hangout with my friends ( thankfully my friends are beyond wonderful and were always around keeping me company).. I didn’t ask for this to happen to me, I was stripped of my abilities. How could life be so mean and cruel. I was so mad and still am to a degree. My abilities were all so far from my reach, I felt so limited and was and still am to a degree.
You may be reading this and have nothing in common with me and in your life such things as I’ve had to go through, you haven’t & thank God you haven’t ! But you may be facing a different type of struggle. Something in life hasn’t been fair to you. You don’t understand why you got the cards you were dealt.
My grandfather has always had the saying “reach and get it” and boy did he tell me that a lot! He doesn’t say a whole lot but when he does,you listen and when he told me that, it was always just what I needed to hear!. When it comes to life and what we’re faced with each day. When we have something that just isn’t ideal coming our way, reach and get it! And conquer it! Don’t let it conquer you! Small back story. My Grandfather’s father passed away when he was seventeen of a massive heart attack.. seventeen..can you imagine. He was the oldest and planning to go to La Tech and study to become an engineer and went for a year but later had to drop out to help his family. He later went to work for KCS railroad and worked his way up and retired 46 years later. Life as we know it can get hard, we can have our whole life all planned out and suddenly things can change in an instant, just like my pawpaw’s did. He didn’t ask for his father to be taken from him at such a young age. He has never really talked about it much but I know he was hurt beyond compare from that. He could have gotten mad at God for that..But he didn’t. He looked life straight in the face and did what he had to do and that was reach and get it.
“You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt, you have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding.” Life may not be going according to YOUR plan.You feel your at the end of your rope.Things haven’t been fair to you, but would you ever think that what’s happening is pointing you in the direction of your destiny if I told you that.?
Believe it or not, IT IS! You may think I’m crazy for saying that, but months, maybe years from now you’ll think back and realize and see Gods hand was apart of it all and like in Garth Brooks song Unanswered prayers you may thank God later for whatever you’re going through. That if the answers aren’t happening just yet, there’s a purpose behind it.
I pray right now God give you the energy and tenacity to conquer whatever life is throwing your way, and that you can throw it right back and move forward with success and patience!!! I pray you move forward with a heart willing to see and seek God in your struggle. I pray blessing upon blessing over each and every person reading this and you go in peace and give peace.
xoxo- Delanie Renee’ DuBroc
DELANIE.RENEE.DUBROC 