Hard Knocks and Blessings

Last week I blogged about how sad that over the years the Hollidays have become for my family and myself due to the loss of loved ones so close the Hollidays. Today, my blog is about how to cope with the Hard Knocks life deals you and how in some way they turn those hard knocks into blessings.

Some of you are aware that my DH is a diabetic and heart patient. He has over come close to 5 heart attacks over the past 15 years. He has had 6 stints put in, a triple by pass surgery, and a pacemaker defibulator implant over the past the first 10 years. My DH has been blessed the past 5 years with a certain amount of Heart free problems just dealing with the diabetes. We both attribute this to our Faith and the great cardiologists that have treated Ray over the years.

On Thanksgiving Day when Ray and I had company overfor a visit. He started having chest pains. We did the usual routine of nitro an called 911. After 4 hours in VA Hospital's ER. The cardiologist decided though the tests were inconclusive, to keep him over night. I live not far from the hospital so after seeing him settled in I went home. Ray called me at 10pm that evening to tell me that he was being moved to CICU, They were taking him inot the Cath lab first chance the next morning. I knew going back to the hospital that night would do no good. They wouldn't let me see him. So I sat up most of the night. The Cath procedure went well. They added two more stints to his collection so now he has 8.

Youu might wonder what this has to do with Hard Knocks turning into blessings. The other news we received wasn't good. Two of the by=passes have grown closed, There is nothing that the doctors can do for those. Some of the other vessels are doing what they can to take up the slack. Here is where Ray and I believe the blessing comes in. 6 years ago Ray defibulator went off 8 times in one day. He flat-lined twice according to the read outs from the difbulator. It is these type of issues that can either make or break you. I admit that when the first heart attack happened and they did the triple by-pass i was scared and worried sick. I was falling apart. It was a nice lady who was there visiting another patient in the ICU that helped me see the light. That I needed to be strong for Ray and myself. That my faith would carry us through. I don't remember that lady's name but I will never forget her kindness and words to me that night. Every time that I sit in a waiting room for family of seriously ill patients. I rember her kindness and try to repay it in kind.

Blessings are what you make out of life gives you.