FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After almost 5 years my worker's comp case has finally settled! Hallelujah! I signed the papers this morning and oh, it was so sweet to finally put this case to rest! Today marks the end of so much hardship, so many questions, and so much waiting since I was injured in 2009. Today also marks the beginning of so much hope, so much excitement for the future, and so much gratitude for God's faithfulness in my life.

For those of you who don't know me personally or who haven't been reading this blog long, 5 years ago I was a first grade teacher. I had 16 lovely first graders that all got along wonderfully. I'd previously taught this same group of kids in Kindergarten. The entire class traveled from Kindergarten to First Grade with me. So, as you can imagine, we all loved each other. We had a terrific time together. Life was perfectly fine in first grade until we got a new student. This student had been passed among every first grade class in the school because of his behavior. He had a lot of problems and he scared all the kids in my class. Everyday I worried that one of my students would get hurt because of his violence. I begged the administration to help but since I was the last first grade class to put him in, they ignored me. I documented his behavior and my concerns everyday but no one seemed to care. Eventually, his behavior did hurt someone. Thankfully, it wasn't a student. It was the teacher. This student pushed me down when I wasn't looking. I had no warning and no way to catch myself. I fell straight onto my bottom, fracturing part of my lower spine and puncturing the L5S1 disc. I continued to work but the pain got worse and worse and eventually the doctor took me out of work. 

Dylan was 1 year old when I was injured. I couldn't even pick up my baby. It was so hard at first. I was so mad. I couldn't understand why God would allow this to happen. Then, God helped me to see that His ways are better. He helped me to understand that He had a plan. Even then, I knew that this injury would lead to good things. I never imagined it would take 5 years but I believed God would use it for good. 

Today, as I signed the settlement agreement, I just had to reflect over this journey. I've dealt with almost constant pain and my family has sacrificed so much during these years. I've had spinal fusion surgery, countless hours of physical therapy, numerous injections, 2 spinal headaches, 3 blood patches, 5 Emergency Room visits, and a temporary neurostimulator implanted in my back. Its been rough. BUT- I've also been able to spend 4 of Dylan's 5 years at home with him and all of Evan's years at home with him. Bryan and I have grown closer in ways that I could have never imagined and we've learned to trust God because we've had no other choice. I have embarked upon the homeschooling journey with my children and realized that this was a part of God's plan all along. Most importantly, my life will never be the same after this injury because I have seen God at work, first hand, in more ways than I count. I have fallen in love with my Creator because I have really learned how much He loves me.

We still have a few weeks of waiting for things to be finalized and we'll still be waiting a few more months before moving into a new house but today was a huge day. I've been waiting for closure for so long. I've been praying for what seems like forever. Today, I saw God come through and it is such an amazing feeling!

Today I am thankful that God has such good plans for my life and even though it may sometimes seem like those plans will never come to fruition, God is the ultimate Promise Keeper. I am grateful for His faithfulness today and everyday. I am also thankful that my case has finally settled! We aren't millionaires or even debt free because of this settlement but we ARE right where God wants us and it has all been a great blessing to our family!