You might not remember me or know me from Adam, but that's okay. I last wrote when I was a teenager. That was over six years ago.
I have been busy handling life and soon I am going to be facing a new adventure: attending college! I graduated from high school four years ago, and after working at a few mundane jobs, I decided to better myself, so I opted to go to college. I plan to major in teaching children with special needs and make that a possible career goal.
To reintroduce myself to you, my name is Erinn Patricia McDonnell. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, with my family. I have my parents, Patrick and Annie, who are my dad and mom, my two younger brothers Seamus Michael (20) and Reginald Patrick (18), and my three younger sisters, Mary-Catherine Elizabeth (16), Patricia Colleen (14), and Rhiannon Siobhan (11). Rhiannon is disabled; she has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair (she cannot walk or talk). We have always been a very close-knit family.
When I was fourteen, I fell from a horse and ended up severing my spinal cord. It was a freak accident. I sometimes use a wheelchair (for longer trips), but I mainly get around on my crutches and leg braces. At first, I had a very hard time accepting my situation, but now that I can walk somewhat, it's made it a whole lot easier to bear. It still is hard, though, especially when I see my friends swimming, skateboarding, or running around, playing sports or acting goofy.
I think the thing that got me through it all was the support of my family, and also finding God. If it were not for God in my life, I probably would have killed myself before I even had a chance to graduate from high school. Being a teenagar was hard enough; try sitting in a wheelchair for most of the time. NOT easy. Then I found Christ when I was 16, and my life's done a complete 360 revolution. My life is no longer the same!
I go to a spirit-filled, Bible-believing church, where they have an awesome ministry field for people with special needs. We have many people who are disabled who go to my church, and I have made many wonderful friends. I have been working with kids who are in wheelchairs or on crutches like myself, and they look up to me. I pray with them, and teach them that they can have full, productive lives, even with being disabled. It's a lot of fun!
Maybe when I get out of college, I'd also like to take up the missions field and teach children around the world about Christ's love. Yet for now, college is my next goal, and I plan on doing my very best. With God's help, I will. :)
This year hasn't been too bad, but back in May, we lost our home due to severe flooding that struck Nashville. It was horrible! We were out of our home until just last week; we stayed with friends who lived in Hendersonville. While we were with our friends, extra people who wanted to step in and help repaired the damage to our home and replaced everything we'd lost. It was a miracle of how God used a tragedy to turn things around for the better!
It's almost like we are living in a new house!!
Our church got hit by the flooding; we have been meeting in an old abandoned warehouse, but hopefully we will be back in our church home within the next month.
Last night, we had bad weather come in: thunderstorms with possible tornadoes in them. The sky got ugly real fast, and we ended up having to hide in our basement. It was scary!! Thank God, no tornadoes here, but still: after the flooding we had back in May, we Nashvillians are still a little shellshocked!
Well, I have to go: Rhiannon is up. I hear her cooing in her bed, so that means I must tend to her. I take care of her before my parents get up. It's my morning routine. I don't mind it because I love my baby sister, and I know she loves me. Until later, this is Erinn Patricia McDonnell saying so long and God bless!
~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Erinn. :D
