Blissfully Unaware

This post title seemed appropriate when I looked back on the date of my last post. March 29th. On March 29th I had no idea that the next day would be spent in the ER with hubby, wondering if he would still have all his fingers when he left. On March 30th Rob had an accident on the farm. He caught his hand in a piece of machinery in the barn. One of my greatest fears with a husband who's a farmer is injury. Rob works alone and is around equipment all the time. Often I stop in to say hi or bring him a treat...I think we both know that I'm checking in on him and making sure he's ok. Haying season is the worst:) There's always a small part of me that panics when he phones from work...usually it's just a call say 'hi poopsie!' and 'I'm thinking of you'...or more likely, 'I'm going to be a *few* minutes late'. But on this particular day it was a call to say 'I hurt myself pretty good and I'm thinking I should head to the clinic.'

I could tell something was off...he didn't sound too hurt, but there was something in his voice. It took me just a few minutes too long to realize he was in shock. I picked him up at the farm and off we went to ER. The staff were great, he was in within 10 minutes and was receiving treatment shortly thereafter. The big concern was infection. Barns aren't exactly the most hygienic places for an accident!
From this point on it really just seems like a blur. I feel as though I've been living in my car for the past month driving here there and everywhere. Life had to become very organized and scheduled and the days didn't have enough hours in them to get everything accomplished. The timing of the accident was interesting. On one hand, we had just shipped our big flock out so the day to day farm responsibilities were less than usual. On the other hand, we had 13,000 birds that HAD to be moved into the layer barns before they reached a certain age and in order for that to happen all the barns had to be cleaned and prepped for the move itself.
This is where God took over...He saw our anxiety, felt our helplessness, and took over. Rob and I can't even begin to put into words the overwhelming peace we have felt. It's as though nothing happened. Life was put into perspective very quickly. Things that normally feel so bothersome and mundane became things to appreciate and acknowledge.
Before Rob was even out of surgery we had more help than we knew what to do with. People we don't even know were offering their assistance. Fellow farmers came to the rescue, machinery was fixed, barns were cleaned, and flocks were moved! Kids were babysat so I could be available to work on the farm, meals were delivered, and cards were flowing into the mailbox. We even recieved a card from a family in Colorado who knows us through their daughter. They were letting us know that they, and their church, were praying for us! Our church family rose above and beyond the duty of a family and did everything they could to support us. Our friends, family and church prayed us through every step of the trauma. Men took time off their own jobs to come and work on our farm. All of those who volunteered their time didn't even ask if they could help...they just showed up and helped and organized more people on their own. We prayed for safety for these men, many of whom had not worked on a farm before. To feel this kind of love, to experience Christ's love through these friends is more than we can ever express in words. I can't imagine how we would have done all this without our church family. I have always been a strong advocate of church involvement, and this experience causes me to stress just one more time to all of you how important it is to invest your time and love into your church community. It's not a matter of having the resources of friends to help in a crisis, although this is a huge benefit, it's the way you experience Christ's love through these people.
Well, this blog post could go on for days, but to sum things up; we are so thankful that the surgeon was able to re-construct Rob's fingers. We are thankful that he will slowly regain use of them, if not entirely, then we'll settle for partially! We are thankful that the cost of therapy and all medical expenses will be covered. We are thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who protected us and embraced us. We are thankful for friends and family who carried us through this trauma.  Thankful for those of you who followed us through every step of the way with phone calls, texts and emails.  We are so thankful for our marriage and the unity we were able to feel despite the crisis.
Rob is thankful to be back at work...the crazy man won't stay away from his beloved farm! He has months of therapy ahead, and will need to take it easy, but that's a small price to pay for a farm accident! So, if you are one of the many friends that helped us through this, then we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
I didn't get too many pictures...too busy! But here's a few I snapped with my phone along the way...
Here's hubby 'supervising' a few days after the accident:

Here's my bro who came to the rescue and put in some good time doing mundane chores with me on the farm:

Here's a few fierce warriors to braved the flock change...from left to right:

Josh, who's experience on a layer farm was such an asset,

Wayne, who said...and I quote "I'd deal with complaining customers all day before I'd ever chicken farm!"

And Stef, who kept us entertained all day! Stef's quote: "I was really careful with the chickens...well, the first few anyway...."

Thanks guys...you're the BEST!

And last, but certainly not least.... 'Dr. D' and fellow farmer and friend Dan who also played a big part in getting the job done! Way to go guys!