Episode 53: Bearing Witness

Cannon Fodder

Jan Karski

Stand Up and Testify

Amity: This is the segment where we tell a personal story about something that we are grateful for.

Lemuel: A few episodes ago we talked about my health issues. Late last year I discovered that the almost staggering pain in my back were not a pulled muscle, but an unusual , frankly rare case of coccidioidomycosis. It ate through the discs in both my upper and lower back, and that pain was the grinding of my vertebrae together. After months of misdiagnosis

I was able to get the care I needed. A ten hour surgery, and a long recovery. There have been other problems, most recently a compensatory frozen shoulder injury. But I am getting the care I need from doctors who seem invested with restoring me to health.

I realize that there are months of hard work ahead. I am a martial artist for most of my life, and meant to work toward a black belt in Tomiki Aikido. Those plans have been jeopardized by the extent of my injuries. Hiking, camping, several of the other activities I enjoyed, are also jeopardized. But I will slowly build myself up.

As I look to a long and painful recovery, I am comforted by a Bible verse from the Book of Isaiah. He was quoted by Jesus more often than any of the other scriptures, so i put value in his beautifully crafted sentences. Isaiah 40:31 reads:

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I will be patent. I will endure. I will be lifted up.