So, I've gone back and am pulling some of those old posts to share here with y'all. There's nothing quite like "Death" to hit the reset button on life
I hope y'all enjoy. - Raine
A Life Well Spent
Have you ever wondered about how quickly death came at people in the days of the Wild West?
I know, weird thoughts and musings. But you have to admit, when you watch movies and TV series about Deadwood, Dodge or Tombstone, there seems to have been A Lot of people that died from all sorts of methods - shot, stabbed, blown up, run over by a wagon, falling off cliffs, and hangings, just to name a few.
It made me wonder about how many of those people actually died in a day, a week or a month; and how many had any warning they were about to "meet their maker".
The reason I was thinking about this topic, is because almost 9 years ago, my hubby (Gary) dropped dead of a heart attack in our living room. HE had no warning, but I had already been given a warning and advised to "Don;t leave him alone".
Yep, God sent an Angel to tap on my back- repeatedly. And for you skeptics, it was not a muscle spasm, pulsing nerve, or anything like that. I've had something similar happen only one other time and it was bad, I mean really, really bad. But that's another story.
Anyway, Gary had cut down a dead tree with a friend, but ended up loading it by himself onto a trailer to deliver to a family to use for heat. Unfortunately, he did not drink any water while working and sweating that day, because there was no bathroom available and he didn't realize how much he had sweated while working.
Shortly after arriving home, he complained about being hungry and not feeling well. He went to take a shower and asked if I would go get him a burger. I remembered the warning to "not leave him alone", and told him I'd fix him something that would help him cool off and rehydrate.
After getting dressed and relaxing on the sofa, I brought him a big glass of ice water and a bowl of cold applesauce. He downed the ice water and asked for more. As I was refilling the glass, I heard the bowl and spoon fall on the floor, so I grabbed a dish towel and continued into the living room.
As I rounded the corner, I saw Gary was seizing and had turned grey. I immediately grabbed my phone (which was a miracle in itself, cause I usually had to search for it around the house when I need to use it) and dialed 911.
As I start talking to the dispatcher, I'm checking Gary's pulse on both sides of his neck (old nursing home trick) to see if he was having a stroke. After finding that his pulse was even on both sides, I told the operator that my husband was having a heart attack. I did CPR until help arrived and took him to the hospital.
Long story short, he lived, one of the male ER nurses had a broken nose, and family and friends had a wake-up call about just how quickly and unexpectedly death could happen. Oh, and Gary learned that he wasn't as indestructible as he had always thought, and that even charmed lives can run out of luck at some point.
So now, we are working at living our dreams and loving each other and life daily. Our biggest argument involves "Love you more", "Love you mostest", "I'll let you think that, but I know I love you beyond that".
What dreams have you put off till "Some Day"?
What people in your life have no idea how important they are to you?
Who in your life needs to hear you say "I Love You"?
Who needs a little forgiveness for not being perfect?
We're not guaranteed tomorrow, or even 5 minutes from now.
Isn't it time to collect your long lost dreams, gather you beloved family and friends, and start living and loving this moment in life? And the next moment? And the next? I see that as a beautiful way of being.
In joy ---- bliss full ---- and blessed.
Imagine stringing each of those moments together, one after the other, on and on without end, like the pearls of a necklace or the links of a golden chain.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you create a well lived life.
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