Almost always, my articles are worked on for nearly a week because my mind works in mysterious ways.

So much for clever beginning.

Thursday morning, I got Charliedog hitched up and ready for his morning walk.

He gets me up almost every time at 6 a.m., pushes me with his paws and ignores my carefully-worded dog speak. He has a limited vocabulary.

Anyway, it was a beautiful morning, sun shining and not even too warm. We made it to the center of our driveway when suddenly, I felt my body go limp and hit the pavement ... hard.

Okay, John, you've fallen before, so check yourself out. I started with my ankle; hurts, but not broken; knee, hurts, but bendable; hip, same; shoulder, hurts. Now, let's sit up. Dadgummit, sit up! Up and sitting, bleeding a bit from the knee, arm — forgot about that — and I realize that Charliedog was sitting in front, staring at me with an expression that said, 'What's up?'

I couldn't get up. I had forgotten that my knee replacement wouldn't allow any flexible leg movement when it comes to the getting up process. Cars were passing by, I waved at them, but they seemed to think that I was just playing with my dog, so they waved back and drove on. I began to hear some faint rumbling from the Northeast.

Morning thunderstorm! I felt like I was in an old Charlie Chaplain movie.

Okay, here I am, an 89-yearold but rather dashing guy, waiting for the rain to wash me out to the curb.

Put this in your handy dandy first aid scrapbook.

Take off your shoes and place them around your knee area.

Roll over so your knees have something comfortable to work with. It will hurt, but mutter a few Sailor sentences and push up with your arms. Yes, you will bleed, you big sissy, but work your hands up to your knees, then a tad more — good — and now stand up and get inside before the lightning strikes.

This takes about 40 minutes. Sit down and call the kids. Wait.

For the rest of the week, you will learn how to use a walker. Don't let the dog jump on you, eat a lot of McDonald's because it's very close and add 20 minutes to everything that used to be easy. Forget about using the clothes washer, the mailbox, going to the store, going to the thrift shop to volunteer, to the bank or whatever used to be just another thing on your to-do list. Oh, there are some embarrassing personal absolutely must learn to do things which you'll figure out.

You will have plenty of time to read. Do not watch the TV movies! It hurts to laugh or cry.

Try this one, 'The Future of Freedom' by Fareed Zakaria. 'In his brave and ambitious book, Zakaria has updated Tocqueville.

Zakaria's knowledge in impressive.' I'm sure he's all that, but he began with the Roman Empire and ended with the Titanic on page 238. For your info, Alexis Charles Henri, Clerel, comte de Tocqueville — his full name — is known for 'Soft depotism' or tyranny of majority and the importance of civil society and religion to counter-act the despot. Read that again and bounce it against my conclusion.

Let me close with my belief that our society and religious institutions support the despot. And allow me to also add a statement by James Madison that I struggle with. 'The great difficulty for government is that the government must first control the governed, and then get the governed to control itself.' We are a Republic and that means we elect our government and have a say so as how it operates.

'For the people!'

When the highest rule of the land is in the hands of human beings, who or what should have the last word?

For me, it is Almighty God, the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sustainer. There is no power greater! Our future is in God's hands!

Thanks, God.