Loss

 

I said last time that my mom fell and was severely injured. I'm not sure I mentioned that she also broke her arm. After being in the hospital a week, she was released to a skilled nursing facility.  She was there only a day or 2 and had a heart attack. She said her chest hurt so the nursing facility did an EKG. The nurses didn't like what they saw so they called an ambulance. When she got to the hospital they discovered that two heart valves were totally blocked. They did emergency surgery to put in one stent to relieve the pressure. Doctors said it was too risky to do the other stent so they let her go back to skilled nursing. She said the pressure was gone so hopefully she can get back to recovery and rehabilitation.

With everything being so busy I haven't been on social media very much. As I sat with my phone this evening watching a football game, I decided to scroll through FB. Somehow I ended up on our family's page which was originally set up, I think, for my brother's memorial. Scrolling through that I found the video tribute to my parents for their 65th wedding anniversary. All those pictures of my dad and mom made me miss my dad all over again. I realize that my mom, at 94, won't be around very many more years. With the recent heart attack the idea of a DNR came up. Did mom want one or not? Is she in a good state of mind to decide? I told my sister I wasn't sure I was ready for that. I know it's coming. Just not right now, please.

On that same FB page I eventually came to the video tribute to my brother who died a few years back just a few days after Christmas. My kids and grandkids and I had gone to visit him just a few days before he died. He was awake and laughing and we sang Christmas carols. How he died just a few days later I have no idea. But seeing the video of all the pictures of his life, I cried all over again. 

After crying through that, I went on to a different section of FB. I came across a notice that a member of the square dance club I attend had passed. His wife and I had many conversations about our husbands' health and how I deal with certain things. We were encouragement for each other. Her husband got much better and started dancing again. The last time I square danced, he was in our square and I got to give him a hug and tell him how glad I was he was back. That was about a month ago. His death was sudden. I don't know the details but it reminds again how life is not guaranteed. Even when we think health takes a turn for the good, it can end so quickly.

We could die at any time. Even if we have good health, we don't know what is around the corner. My take on this is not to stop being part of the world around us, and it's not to live in fear, but simply to think of eternity and where you might end up. 

We make the choice. Jesus died and rose again so we can have eternal life with him in Heaven. If a person chooses to ignore that, they are choosing for themselves to not go to heaven. God doesn't send people to hell. People are making that choice for themselves. BUT when you choose Jesus you are choosing an eternal friend who will be with you in all your difficulties. We all have difficulties, but we don't have to go through them alone. Having Jesus makes the difficult times more bearable. Even finding Joy in all the wrong places. :) You can too! 

Blessings
Mary



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