This has been a hard week for us! One of the men in our Branch (that's what we call a small congregation in our Church) had a massive heart attack the Sunday before Thanksgiving. His situation has led to some deep and reflective thinking.
Without giving too much detail, I do want to share some of the main ideas that he and I have talked about this past week. By the way, I should say that it is good that we have talked. The day I heard of his plight, he was already on the respirator and drugged pretty heavily before I had time to get to the hospital. That is one of the disadvantages of living so many miles from the places where we do things. I like living out here in the middle of the woods, and I can even say that I find satisfaction in the farming work. But sometimes, driving 30-65 miles to take care of either school or church events gets a bit troublesome. Especially when work is 60 miles one direction, and church is about 30 miles the opposite direction from our house.
Anyway, our friend was in no condition to talk when I got there. He had so many tubes in him, he was hard to recognize, and obviously, talking was out of the question for him. He opened his eyes when I spoke, but it was unsure if he really knew what was going on, or if he recognized me.
The next time I came back, he seemed more responsive, but still tubed up, and no talking. I feel like he knew what was going on, though, because he started to get teary-eyed when I said I needed to leave. He shook his head ever so slightly, so I just couldn't leave. The prognosis was not good, and they were just trying to stabilize him enough to transfer to a hospital in Little Rock, but the staff didn't think he would reach a point where transfer would be possible.
Two agonizing days later, the family decided to take him off the respirator, and leave the rest in our Heavenly Father's hands. I made a point to go visit him as soon as I could. He had been off the machines for about 6 hours by the time I got to the hospital, so he was talking just a bit. Breathing was his major activity. He was still not doing well, and as we visited, I realized how well he understood his situation. He said if he made it through the night, he would probably make it for at least a few days more.
The next words out of his mouth, however, are a tribute to his dedication and sense of duty. He has a responsibility of making our weekly bulletins for church. He has been doing this for many years, as it is one of few things his overall health (and that of his wife) would allow. He brings a wonderful spirit to our meetings even on the weeks he is not present, by the thoughts and scriptures he shares in the bulletin.
After commenting on how important the morning would be for his outlook, he asked me to have sister H come to see him the next morning (strong faith, huh?), so that he could explain to her where all of his materials and copies were for the next 3 weeks bulletins. That's dedication!
They finally got him stable enough to transfer to the specialist in LR on Monday, but by Thursday, they had sent him back to Batesville. Surgery was just not in the picture, and there was no good reason to keep him in LR. He and his wife are now situated in a nursing care facility.
When I visited with them today, we talked for some time about the things in life that bring real joy. We spoke also about the importance of keeping an open line of communication with God. My friend "L" knows that he is living on borrowed time, but then again, aren't we all? If we put our relationship with our family and our Heavenly Father in proper order, reaching the end of this life doesn't have to be a scary thing. We commented on the simple truth stated in a country song my daughter likes. "everybody wants to go to Heaven, but noboby wants to go now!"
Our friend 'L" may stick around for a awhile, yet, but when his time comes, he has his priorities in place. He only wants to go knowing that he hasn't left anything undone here that Heavenly Father wants him to do, and he asked again today that someone be called to take over on the bulletins in the event that he is no longer able. Still wanting to make sure that his responsibility is managed. :)
It is comforting to know that death is only a temporary goodbye, not a permanent, that is eternal, change.
Without giving too much detail, I do want to share some of the main ideas that he and I have talked about this past week. By the way, I should say that it is good that we have talked. The day I heard of his plight, he was already on the respirator and drugged pretty heavily before I had time to get to the hospital. That is one of the disadvantages of living so many miles from the places where we do things. I like living out here in the middle of the woods, and I can even say that I find satisfaction in the farming work. But sometimes, driving 30-65 miles to take care of either school or church events gets a bit troublesome. Especially when work is 60 miles one direction, and church is about 30 miles the opposite direction from our house.
Anyway, our friend was in no condition to talk when I got there. He had so many tubes in him, he was hard to recognize, and obviously, talking was out of the question for him. He opened his eyes when I spoke, but it was unsure if he really knew what was going on, or if he recognized me.
The next time I came back, he seemed more responsive, but still tubed up, and no talking. I feel like he knew what was going on, though, because he started to get teary-eyed when I said I needed to leave. He shook his head ever so slightly, so I just couldn't leave. The prognosis was not good, and they were just trying to stabilize him enough to transfer to a hospital in Little Rock, but the staff didn't think he would reach a point where transfer would be possible.
Two agonizing days later, the family decided to take him off the respirator, and leave the rest in our Heavenly Father's hands. I made a point to go visit him as soon as I could. He had been off the machines for about 6 hours by the time I got to the hospital, so he was talking just a bit. Breathing was his major activity. He was still not doing well, and as we visited, I realized how well he understood his situation. He said if he made it through the night, he would probably make it for at least a few days more.
The next words out of his mouth, however, are a tribute to his dedication and sense of duty. He has a responsibility of making our weekly bulletins for church. He has been doing this for many years, as it is one of few things his overall health (and that of his wife) would allow. He brings a wonderful spirit to our meetings even on the weeks he is not present, by the thoughts and scriptures he shares in the bulletin.
After commenting on how important the morning would be for his outlook, he asked me to have sister H come to see him the next morning (strong faith, huh?), so that he could explain to her where all of his materials and copies were for the next 3 weeks bulletins. That's dedication!
They finally got him stable enough to transfer to the specialist in LR on Monday, but by Thursday, they had sent him back to Batesville. Surgery was just not in the picture, and there was no good reason to keep him in LR. He and his wife are now situated in a nursing care facility.
When I visited with them today, we talked for some time about the things in life that bring real joy. We spoke also about the importance of keeping an open line of communication with God. My friend "L" knows that he is living on borrowed time, but then again, aren't we all? If we put our relationship with our family and our Heavenly Father in proper order, reaching the end of this life doesn't have to be a scary thing. We commented on the simple truth stated in a country song my daughter likes. "everybody wants to go to Heaven, but noboby wants to go now!"
Our friend 'L" may stick around for a awhile, yet, but when his time comes, he has his priorities in place. He only wants to go knowing that he hasn't left anything undone here that Heavenly Father wants him to do, and he asked again today that someone be called to take over on the bulletins in the event that he is no longer able. Still wanting to make sure that his responsibility is managed. :)
It is comforting to know that death is only a temporary goodbye, not a permanent, that is eternal, change.
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