Well Wishes

I woke up feeling better today.  And right away, there was this gift from our friends at the Maine church in Charleston.  It was a flower arrangement that they sent my way, and it was incredibly thoughtful.  In fact, Mary Shannon and Joni brought flowers too.  I was feeling so much better that I got started with my writing for the skit this weekend at KidPak.  I doubt I'll be there, but the show must go on, right?  That skit ain't gonna' write itself!  So I got busy this morning writing it out, and actually finished fairly early in the day.  It was good to have that off my mind.  I wrote something else too, a note all the people that have left hundreds of comments online for me to read:

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This is David. I want to again thank everyone for their prayers! I am overwhelmed with gratitude to each of you for stopping to think of me. I fervently believe I would not be here without those prayers. Talented doctors and nurses helped preserve my life, but there is an unmistakable path of coincidences and circumstances that delivered me from death, and I believe they were orchestrated by God Himself. I’m finding it all difficult to process, but I know this: by all accounts, I should be dead, but I am not.

About two weeks ago, I had a series of dreams, one where I was shown a very big mansion that I felt I didn’t deserve. It was a heavenly mansion, and I was blown away by how wonderful it was. The next night I had a dream where I actually died. In that second dream, a nurse approached me with a needle while I was in a patient’s room. In the dream, something went wrong shortly afterwards, and as I was fading away, there was this flurry of panic all around me. Yet I was at complete peace through it all. In my life, I don’t remember many dreams at all, but these two, back-to-back, remained with me for obvious reasons. Moving forward in time to Monday morning, a nurse approached me with a needle, to put in an IV. He was doing it in the same casual manner as what I experienced in the dream, and in the same exact location on the arm. You could imagine how I felt. But there was a twist. I hadn’t had much water to drink that day, and ultimately he chose to go through the wrist instead.

To me, this was symbolic. It was a change of destiny, a change of paths. I was on a path towards death. But even though I was walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I felt no evil. I even felt a voice – not audible – but a reminder that there were a lot of people praying for me. Even though visitation at hospitals is very limited, I knew I was not alone. In the hospital bed, I added my own prayer to those other prayers, that Zena and Madison would still have a husband and father.

Doctors needed to change plans and do a heart cath that afternoon. I was awake for the entire experience. There was a 99% blockage. I am still trying to process what all this means, and yes, there’s a plan and a path to recovery. But I know in my heart that God has a plan, and I’m so grateful that I still have a part to play in it.

I’m doing okay. There are ups and downs. But that’s recovery for you. I have moments of fear and doubt. But I know that it will all be okay no matter what. And I know that we have many faithful friends who love and support us, and stopped their busy schedules to pray for us. And for that, I am forever grateful!

I got hundreds of responses to that, and it was wonderful to hear from so many!

Madison had some good grades in school today.  She's wrapping up middle school, approaching the Milestone tests that at one point were cancelled but are apparently back on.  That's okay.  She's doing well.  She had taekwondo tonight, and so Nana once again watched over me, this time the two of us watching a James Bond movie together.

We're starting a James Bond marathon, actually.  It lasted just long enough that it was done by the time Madison and Mom got home from taekwondo.  Tonight, she was helping as an assistant instructor again, and then of course going to her regular leadership class as well.  

Tonight Mom was up late doing taxes, because it's April 15th.  Only... there was an extension on the time, and we didn't realize we have until May to do our taxes.  Well, at least we're done with it, right?  That's all Mom though.  She did it all tonight.  

Meanwhile, I was reading to Madison.  We're moving forward with our book.  We said our prayers afterwards, and I was out asleep fairly quickly.  It was a better day!