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Dear friends,

Last week I shared some reflections about the last Saints game, and applied some sports learning to the church. What I didn’t share with you was my experience right before the game. I was walking our dog Boudreaux when another dog startled him, which caused him to lurch forward, pulling me with him into the air, and ultimately to the ground. I landed face first on the pavement, also injuring my shoulder, knee, and hands. 

I’ve had assorted aches and pains since then, but I realized on Tuesday that the more serious injury was the continued brain fog. I saw my doctor last Thursday, who diagnosed a mild concussion (not great) but no brain bleed (very good). He put me on “cognitive rest” – meaning no screen time and as little focused thinking as possible. 

I’ve replayed that fall in my mind many times since then. A few reflections:

  • I should have let go. If I’d been able to let go of Boudreaux when he reacted, I wouldn’t have fallen. Sometimes letting go is the right thing to do.
  • I couldn’t let go, because I had the leash wrapped tightly around my hand. I thought that would give me more control, but instead I lost control and ended up with a compression injury on that hand. Thinking we have control when we do not can land us flat on our face.
  • I was focused on bruises and cuts, when my brain itself was wounded. It is easy to be distracted by the important and lose sight of the crucial.
  • COVID makes everything more complicated right now. I would have contacted my doctor earlier if I had not been resistant to spending time inside of a medical facility while omicron spreads.
  • A normally functioning brain is a great gift that we shouldn’t take for granted. If we’ve been lucky enough to be born without any cognitive challenges, and lucky enough to have had good nutrition and education as children, we are lucky indeed. We should thank God for this gift, and for all instances in which our bodies and communities function as they were intended.

I like to think that we can learn from our experiences, and even benefit from the experiences of others. I offer these reflections to you in hopes that they may be of benefit to you -- as individuals, and maybe even as a church community.

And now I will take a break from composing on a screen, which leads to one more reflection.  Too much time in front of computers and phones is not great for any of us. Get outside more!


Grace and peace,
Pastor Kim