Another year has come and nearly gone. November lies deep in the
water, Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow and December looms large on the
horizon. This has been a landmark year for me and my family. The
year began with Gennie participating in a life changing medical
mission to Nicaragua. I believe that she saw more of the world and
gained a much greater understanding of the world through this mission
trip.
No sooner than she returned, did mortality reach out and slap me in
the face; two heart attacks and a stent to open an artery in my
heart. I found it amazing that even though we know, intellectually,
that we are destined, with no uncertainty, to die, it is something
that smacked me in the face. For the first time in my life, I KNEW
that my time was limited and that there was so much more that I
wanted to do.
Surviving a heart should have a profound impact upon how one looks
at life, the world and those people in one's world. I have been
amazed at how differently I look at things now. Everyday, regardless
of the weather, is a beautiful day. There is incredible beauty all
around me – I just have to look, just have to open my eyes, just
have to open my heart. Life is marvelous, the world is beautiful, God
has blessed us with marvelous people with which to share our lives.
The year continued to unfold in ways that I never
really imagined possible. Gennie and I joined the church at
Lighthouse Baptist. We have become a part of a church family which
has opened incredible vistas of love and understanding in my life. I
accepted adult baptism upon joining the church. I finally learned
that baby baptism is a hope: adult baptism is an understanding and
acceptance. The Elders and Deacons at Lighthouse have asked me to
serve as a Deacon. That, dear readers, is another thing I never saw
coming.
Gennie had the opportunity to risk her job and
her security to stand up for what is right. She did it; never
wavering, never questioning the danger. She just did it because it
was the right thing to do. I don't know if she will ever know how proud I
am of her, or how deep and complete the love that I have for her has
grown.
There were two incidents in my year, related to
the heart attacks, that may be the most life changing events of my
year. Laying in the emergency room on that Friday night back in
January, I had railed all day about the insignificance of my chest
pain, refusing to believe it was a heart attack. When I could no
longer pretend, I had a choice to make. I could either ignore the
reality or accept it.
Refusing to accept reality is a form of insanity
and while I might be crazy, I am not insane.
I was laying there in the Emergency and I started
to pray. I told God that I did not see where there was anything more
that I could do; it was all in the hands of the doctors, nurses and
technicians. I asked God to let them use all of the skill, talent and
technology with which He had blessed them and I turned it all over to
God. I simply let go and let God, and as I did, the amazing sense of
Peace filled my mind and soul. Eleven months later, that Peace of
God is still there. This is the most fantastic blessing that God has
ever given me in life time filled with His blessings.
The second event came one Wednesday in April as I
was driving to Louisville for my cardio rehab. I was brooding about
not being able to eat the foods that I want to eat, about not being
able to drink as I always had, about having to “waste” three
mornings a week with the cardio rehab. The darkness was filling my
being and then it dawned on me that the choice, once again, was mine.
I could choose to continue with the rehab and the life style changes
and live out my life to its full measure, or, I could go back to the
food, drink and lifestyle that led to the heart attacks. It was a
serious internal debate.
Driving down the interstate I once again let go
and let God. I returned to that deep, abiding Peace of God and
started thinking about Gennie. If I made the right choices here, I
could live longer. If I made the wrong choices, I was going to die
early. The choice was entirely up to me. I began thinking about my
life with Gennie. I thought about the years that we had spent
together. I thought about how far we had come together. Suddenly,
like a beacon of light cutting through the dark of night, I
understood that I want to live as long as possible, because I don't
want to be separated from Gennie any longer than I have to be. I
want to live as long as I can to be with my wife as long as I can be.
She smiled that woman's smile when I told her
that I chose to live because of her.
And so, this year tumbles down to an end and I look back on 2015 as
one of the best years of my life. God has been good to me this year
and I am so thankful for the heart attacks, the rehab, the changes in
lifestyle and the understanding that I have gained this year. God is
good, all the time.
As my Brothers at New Covenant are apt to; “God's brought us a
mighty long way!”
I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you all can
appreciate all of the blessings that God has given unto you.
