Reminded Again – Take Time to Smell the Roses | Grandma's Ramblings

Last week my husband and I returned from a quick trip from our home in mid-Michigan to southern Illinois. We had gone south for the funeral of my sister-in-law who died just ten days before her 91st birthday.

Returning home, I was so anxious to sleep in my own bed. All that morning as we drove home, we talked about how we would make a pitcher of iced tea (we had not found a good glass of iced tea the whole trip), sit in our recliners and enjoy a movie. Then it would be so great to sleep in our own bed again.

We arrived home at noon and enjoyed that glass of iced tea and relaxing for a little while in our recliners. That afternoon a friend came with some awesome split pea soup and peach cobbler. She knew we would be tired and wanted to give us supper so we could just relax.

However, she had been talking with my husband and my daughter and they had told her that I had not been feeling well and they had tried to get me to call the doctor. She was a nurse and she would not leave until I promised I would call the doctor to get an appointment.

Earlier in the month I had a sensation that I was going to faint while I was at the grocery store. A few weeks later it happened again while I was at home. I was often experiencing the sense that my heart was racing and had a few moments of chest pain.

Years ago, I had breast cancer and the surgeon had apologized to me after the surgery. He said I had so many lymph nodes that were cancerous that he had done a lot of nerve damage in his attempt to get all the cancer. Followed by 32 radiation treatments not only on my chest wall, but on my neck front and back has left me with a chest full of scar tissue and long-term pain in my left side.

Thus, my hesitation to call the doctor. However, as my friend pointed out, the pain was worse than normal and the heart palpitations and episodes of feeling faint were new. Mainly to get her, my daughter and my husband to quit lecturing me on the need to call the doctor, I called that afternoon for an appointment.

I thought I would get an appointment for later that week. When I described why I wanted an appointment, they gave me one within the next hour. Before I could change clothes and get ready for the appointment the doctor called me and asked me to describe what I was feeling. He then told me to go to the emergency room immediately and tell them he had sent me.

Long story – short. After several tests I was admitted overnight and had a stress test the following day. It was my husband’s birthday. We had planned to go to our favorite steak restaurant. Instead, we spent the day in the hospital with more tests.

So – instead of relaxing in my recliner and watching a movie, I spent six hours in the emergency room having several tests run. Instead of sleeping in my own bed, I ended up sharing a hospital room with another patient who had the television on until midnight. Instead of enjoying a great meal and wishing my husband a happy birthday, I spent the day with more tests. My husband spent his birthday sitting with me and running errands during the time I was just resting and waiting on test results.

As I sat in the hospital room waiting to hear what the tests would reveal, I reminded myself that while we can make plans, life can quickly force us to change those plans. The only sure thing we can count on is that God has promised never to leave us.

Each day we should enjoy the moment, take the time to smell the roses.

Thankfully I was able to go home after just one day in the hospital. I am wearing a heart monitor for the next two weeks to be followed up by an echogram and more tests. As of now they tell me the lower chambers in my heart are adding an extra beat all the time. The upper chambers are adding an extra beat randomly. They have given me medication to slow my heart down. This may or may not be anything serious.

I’m trusting that all will be well. But regardless of the outcome, I will be smelling the roses each day and thanking God for all His blessings to me.