SHATTERED COMFORT ZONE

YES. OUR COMFORT ZONE WAS SHATTERED. THE EVERYDAY EXPECTATIONS OF OUR LIFE BECAME SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED. MARTIN HAD BEEN FIRED. HERE IS WHY. AS I SAID, THE SUPERVISOR AT MARTIN'S JOB AT THE POST OFFICE WAS VERY ABUSIVE TO HIM, AND DESPITE MANY NUMEROUS REPORTS AND COMPLAINTS, CONTINUED TO HARASS MARTIN. BECAUSE OF HIS WORK ETHIC AND FEELINGS OF RESPONSIBILITY, MARTIN FELT THAT HE COULD WITHSTAND SUCH TREATMENT FOR 8 HOURS A DAY BECAUSE HE COULD THEN COME HOME AND BE WITH HIS LOVING FAMILY. ONE DAY, THE CASTLE FELL. JESSICA WAS 16 THAT YEAR, AND DRIVING. SHE FOUND HERSELF HAVING TO GO THROUGH A BAD AREA OF TOWN TO GET HOME WHEN SHE GOT A FLAT TIRE. SHE CALLED HER DAD WHO WORKED NOT FAR AWAY TO ASK HIM TO COME AND HELP HER. THE SUPERVISOR ANSWERED THE PHONE, AND WHEN JESSICA ASKED TO SPEAK TO MARTIN, WAS VERY RUDE TO HER. SHE EXPLAINED THAT SHE WAS IN A PART OF TOWN THAT FRIGHTENED HER AND REALLY NEEDED HER DAD. THE SUPERVISOR TOLD HER. "WELL, YOU BETTER CALL BACK AND HOPE HE ANSWER THE PHONE, 'CAUSE I AIN'T DOIN' ANYTHING FOR THAT DOG!' HE THEN HUNG UP ON HER. IN PANIC, SHE CALLED BACK, AND FORTUNATELY MARTIN ANSWERED. "DADDY!" SHE SAID, "WHO WAS THAT AWFUL MAN WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE?" AND THEN TOLD MARTIN WHAT THE SUPERVISOR HAD SAID. MARTIN SAYS HE CAN'T RECALL EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT, BUT WE KNOW THAT HE LOOKED AT THE SUPERVISOR, SCREAMED AT HIM AND PICKED UP A TIRE IRON. WHEN THE SUPERVISOR SAW THAT, HE BEGAN TO RUN, AND MARTIN CHASED HIM. INSTEAD OF HITTING THE SUPERVISOR, HE SLAMMED THE TIRE IRON INTO AN OIL DRUM, COLLAPSING IT. ONE OF MARTIN'S FRIENDS CAUGHT HIM AND TRIED TO CALM HIM DOWN, AND THEN MARTIN REALIZED WHAT HE WAS DOING AND WENT INTO HIS OFFICE. ANOTHER FRIEND WENT TO HELP JESSICA, AND MARTIN WAITED FOR THE POSTAL SECURITY TO COME. AFTER HEARING WHAT HAPPENED, THEY TOLD MARTIN TO GO HOME, HE WAS FIRED. WE NOW KNOW THAT THEY HAD NO AUTHORITY TO DO THAT, BUT MARTIN DID NOT KNOW AT THE TIME. HE CAME HOME UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT HE HAD LOST HIS JOB. THIS WAS SEPTEMBER, 1990.
WE IMMEDIATLY FILED AGAINST THE POST OFFICE FOR NUMEROUS GRIEVIANCES, AND SETTLED DOWN TO WAIT. FORTUNATLEY, MARTIN WAS A MEMBER OF THE UNION, AND THEY REPRESENTED HIM. WE KNEW THAT IT WOULD TAKE MANY MONTHS TO RESOLVE THE SITUATION, AND IN THE MEANTIME, WE HAD CHILDREN TO FEED AND A HOUSE TO PAY FOR. I WENT TO BED THAT NIGHT WITH A PRAYER ON MY LIPS FOR MARTIN, OUR SITUATION, MY FAMILY AND FOR COURAGE TO DO WHATEVER I HAD TO DO TO HELP HIM. IN THE NIGHT, I GOT A FEELING OF EXCITEMENT, A FEELING OF CHALLENGE, AND KNEW THAT I WOULD BE TESTED TO MY LIMIT, BUT ALSO THAT I WOULD PERSERVERE. WE HAD NO SAVINGS. I HAD JUST SPENT MOST OF WHAT WE HAD ON SCHOOL CLOTHES, AND WE HAD BEEN LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK AS WE HAD ALL OF OUR LIVES. ONLY NOW, THERE WOULD BE NO PAYCHECK. I HAD LEFT MY JOB AT THE NURSERY TO BE WITH THE CHILDREN, BECAUSE ONLY THE LAST SPRING, WE GOT A TERRIBLE FRIGHT WITH AARON. WE HAD FOUND A LUMP IN THE BACK OF HIS THROAT, THAT WAS BONEY AND HARD. AT FIRST IT SEEMED VERY OMINOUS, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY STRANGE BONE SPUR GROWING OFF OF ONE OF HIS VERTIBRAE INTO THE BACK OF HIS THROAT. THE DOCTOR DID A BIOPSY AND TO OUR RELIEF, IT WAS NOT CANCER. THE DOCTORS FELT WE COULD LEAVE IT SINCE AARON WAS SOON TO BE A TEENAGER AND HE WOULD GROW FASTER THAN IT WOULD. THEY REMOVED HIS TONSILS AND ADNOISE (I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPELL THAT) TO GIVE HIM ROOM IN HIS THROAT, AND THE BONE SPUR GAVE HIM NO MORE TROUBLE. I FELT THAT WITH SUCH A SCARE I NEEDED TO BE WITH THE CHILDREN MORE, AND QUIT MY JOB AT THE NURSERY. MY JOB HAD BEEN FILLED, (BY 3 WOMEN BY THE WAY) AND I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK ELSEWHERE. I WAS HIRED AT THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN WHO WERE SEVERELY HANDICAPPED. THE CHILDREN I WORKED WITH WERE PRACTICALLY IN A VEGETATIVE STATE AND I HATED MY JOB. I COULDN'T HELP THEM, ONLY CLEAN THEM AND FEED THEM. I AM ASHAMED TO SAY THAT I HAD FOUND MY LIMITS, AND I TRULY DISLIKED WORKING THERE. I ONLY EARNED ENOUGH TO PAY FOR INSURANCE FOR THE FAMILY. MARTIN HAD BEGUN TO TAKE IN CARS AT THE HOUSE TO HELP WITH THE OTHER EXPENSES, AND I STUPIDLY WENT AND APPLIED FOR FOODSTAMPS. I IGNORED THE SPIRIT WHEN I FELT THE PROMPTINGS TO GO TO THE CHURCH FOR HELP. I WAS TOO PROUD. WITH THE FOOD STAMPS AND MY LITTLE JOB, ALONG WITH MARTIN'S EFFORTS, WE SCRAPED BY. THE DAY I GOT MY FIRST PAYCHECK, I ALSO GOT A SHOCK. THE SUPERVISOR HAD FILED CIVIL CHARGES AGAINST MARTIN AND HE HAD A WARRANT OUT FOR HIM. TO CLEAR THE WARRANT, I HAD TO USE EVERY PENNY OF MY FIRST CHECK TO PAY THE COURT CHARGES. DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEANT WHEN I TOLD YOU THAT WE WOULD BE CHALLENGED? IT WAS NOW THAT ALL THE SKILLS I LEARNED IN BAKING, CANNING, GARDENING, SEWING AND OTHER SKILLS CAME INTO PLAY. I FELL BACK ON MY ABILITIES TO STRETCH A DOLLAR BY BAKING ALL THE BREAD AND GOODIES, SEWING AND MENDING CLOTHING, GARDENING AND CANNING AND OTHER STUFF. THE CHILDREN WERE OLD ENOUGH TO HELP, AND PITCHED IN WITHOUT COMPLAINT. I TOLD THEM THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WAS TO MAKE SURE DADDY DID NOT SEE US UPSET. AND HE DIDN'T. I AM SO PROUD OF THE FAMILY FOR THAT. THE FALL BEGAN TO PASS, WITH HALLOWEEN ON THE WAY, AND WE DECORATED AS USUAL. OUR ATTITUDES WERE REALLY GOOD, AS WE HAD A COMMON GOAL, AND THAT WAS TO LIVE WITH CONFIDENCE AND JOY. THEN, ONE DAY, THINGS AGAIN TOOK A JOLT. IT WAS AFTER WORK THAT DAY, THAT I FELL ASLEEP IN MY CHAIR IN THE LIVING ROOM. THIS CHAIR WAS A WING-BACK CHAIR, AND I HAD A HABIT OF SLEEPING WITH MY LEFT ARM TUCKED UP OVER THE WING. I FELT A TICKLE ON MY ARM, AND AWOKE TO FIND A LARGE SPIDER CRAWLING ON ME! HALF-ASLEEP, I JUMPED UP, SLAPPED AT THE SPIDER, CAUGHT MY ARM JUST RIGHT AND FELL BACK INTO THE CHAIR, TWISTING MY ARM. I CAUGHT MY ARM IN AN ANGLE THAT POPPED MY SHOULDER OUT OF JOINT. MARTIN HEARD MY SCREAM OF AGONY AND CAME RUNNING. WE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, AND THE WONDERFUL DOCTOR DISTRACTED ME AND THEN SLAMMED MY SHOULDER AND THE ARM POPPED BACK IN! (THANKS DOC!) I HAD TO KEEP MY ARM IN A SLING FOR 6 WEEKS, SO I COULD NOT LIFT THE CHILDREN AT WORK. SO, NOW I AM OUT OF A JOB TOO! THE NEXT DAY, MARTIN GOT A HUGE BLESSING, HE WAS HIRED AT A LOCAL MECHANICS SHOP FOR PRETTY GOOD MONEY, ENOUGH TO MAKE THE BILLS, EXCEPT THERE WAS NO INSURANCE. BUT THE MONEY WAS ENOUGH. I CALLED THE FOOD STAMP OFFICE AND TOLD THEM OF THE CHANGE IN OUR INCOME. AFTER, IF I WASN'T HONEST, I FELT THAT I COULD NOT RECEIVE ALL THE HELP WE NEEDED FROM HEAVENLY FATHER. THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE AMOUNT OF FOOD STAMPS AFTER THAT, SO I ASSUMED THAT ALL WAS WELL. THANKSGIVING CAME AND THEN CHRISTMAS. AGAIN, THE COMMUNITY SURROUNDED US AND SURPRISED US WHEN A HUGE TRUCK CAME DOWN THE STREET AND STOPPED AT OUR HOUSE. INSIDE WERE BICYCLES, CLOTHING, FOOD AND MANY OTHER ITEMS. THE LETTER SAID, "FOR A FAMILY WHO NEVER STOPS GIVING". I CRIED WITH HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE. EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALRIGHT. THEN, THE MONSTER RAISED IT'S UGLY HEAD. TOMORROW, I WILL TELL YOU OF THE NEXT TRIAL THAT ALMOST BROKE ME. LOVE, NANASEE