I always try to be thankful, I even sing COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS...NAME THEM ONE BY ONE softly in my head along with all those precious Christians I have had the privilege of singing it with over the years. But this Thanksgiving a loving God permitted us time alone in the desert to contemplate just how good he has been to us - and to really count those blessings-- one by one.
I am a very lucky girl. Almost 30 years ago now a very handsome, successful and extremely athletic man came into my life. I call him my Beloved because that is what my Great Aunt Lois always called her husband Jack Christopher...and everything she did was perfect.
Two weeks ago today Mike finally went to the doctor after relentless pain in his shoulder. He is not one to go to the doctor, rather he always sucks it up and tries to shake it off. But he couldn't sleep so he gave in. Within thirty minutes he was in the emergency room at St. Luke's complaining about how much all of this was no doubt costing.
But after a good bit of testing it was discovered he had a Myxoma, a benign tumor attached to the heart. They are always asymtomatic and according to our friend Dr. David Smith, doctors are thrilled when they find them. Later we read 70% of them are discovered in autopsies.
We sailed through Open Heart surgery on Monday 18 November. When I arrived at the hospital on Tuesday he was defying the odd's up walking around and eating a sandwich. Well, he is amazing so why should we have been surprised. However, on Wednesday right after a brief visit from friends while sitting in a chair he slumped over and passed out. It was the first of 6 episodes that day. We had hit a roadblock and by 7 that night he was going back into surgery to place a line for a temporary pacemaker. When he came out to recovery the first thing he told me was, "I flatlined." It happened as he was being wheeled into the OR and the last thing he remembered was hearing them say, "Hurry up, he's flatlining." He later told us he thought he had seen all of us for the last time this side of Heaven.
He spent the next 7 days in ICU. Basically, we were waiting for his heart to re-establish a normal rhythm. Unlike Bypass surgery, his was on the atrium of the heart which required cutting through the Sinus and Electrodes. We patiently waited but a normal rhythm simply eluded us. Tuesday the 26th he experienced a flat-line for the seventh time. His team of doctors told us a permanent pacemaker was our only option as he was suffering from Sick Sinus Syndrome. Doctors placed the pacemaker that evening. Wednesday about 1 he was FINALLY released.
We are sooooo happy to have him home. We are sooooo thankful today, Thanksgiving 2013, for answered prayer, for the joy of family.
So Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
Till you find your dream.
Your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14
Being thankful got us through these past two weeks. And remaining thankful will get us through whatever awaits us...because we have a home in Heaven, our sins have been forgiven and there remains nothing but JOY ahead.
From our house to yours...a very Happy Thanksgiving!
