The past week was a stressful one for me, though I usually don’t realize the stress until it’s too late. I started off battling a migraine which is rare for me. By Wednesday I was feeling better and then I received a text for help. My grandson who works in Indiana had an accident and was thrown from a fast-moving golf cart, breaking his collarbone. The bone was completely separated, one part higher than the other. Surgery was planned for Friday in a local Ohio hospital and he needed both a place to stay and transportation to and from. And thus began a topsy turvy time for me.
And the Ramble Begins…
I looked on it as an opportunity to pay back his mother who stayed with me for a week after my shoulder surgery. I thought all was going well for me handling any stress associated with this, but after he went to surgery, I walked a LONG way to the hospital cafe to have a very late lunch. As I sat at a table, I checked my phone. I had several missed calls from a friend. I knew it was bad. Her mother and father were my very dear friends. Her mother passed with dementia a couple of years ago and her father was battling cancer. I immediately called to learn that my dear friend, Bill, had passed. I was in shock. I knew it was coming, but not this soon. I wished I could go to comfort her as she waited for the coroner, but I couldn’t. The added stress was enough to send my heart into a-fib. Heart palpitations, chest tightness, and pvc’s. I did make it back to the outpatient lobby, but for an hour and a half I feared I might need a doctor’s care.
Friends, prayer helps. God eased the attack and my heart went back into rhythm just a short time before grandson was released. Praise God!
And More Rambling, Or Perhaps a Small Pity Party
My grandson is still with me and will be for a few more days. He is doing very good overall. The most difficult part for me is having my routine disrupted. My office, where I spend most of my time each day, is now his bedroom. All my hobby supplies are stacked in my bedroom. He is a smoker, and keeps it outside on the porch, so that area is out for me as well. Since he has nothing to do, he sits in the recliner all day and watches television. Things I would never watch. LOL!
But God…
But I’m grateful he is doing good and that I can give him a safe and comfortable place to stay while he recuperates from the surgery which required a plate and 7 screws. Ugh. When God calls us to be His hands and feet, we must get out of our comfort zone, stop being selfish, and step up! And be thankful. There is much to be thankful for as I type this journal/post.
Below are the pictures I colored this week. There are three mandalas, which really do help with stress. I’m showing the picture I colored as a buddy color with my daughters. It is titled Light the Darkness (the old man with the angel sitting on his head). The last one I spent the entire week plus working on. It is by Artist Christine Karron. I used my newest colored pencils and am pretty happy with the results. Not bad for a stressful week.
If you have stuck around this long, thank you so much! I have learned that topsy turvy can be a blessing. I wish you much joy and happiness in this new week. May you hear God when He calls you to be His hands and feet, and may your smiles be many. Until next time…
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 