You know that I should know better by now. I just thought that my next post would be about my rehab. Following is the most exciting thing that has happened to me since rehab.
God really does work in mysterious ways. Just after rehab, I went straight to Houston to be with my wife as she had a mastectomy because of breast cancer. One morning standing in a line for breakfast, I was behind a young black man. He was just trying to order some eggs, but the lady behind the counter just couldn't understand him. She was oriental and had a strong accent. This young man, who I will call Rodney, exhibited great strength and just accepted what the lady made and told her God Bless You. He meant it. I just had to meet this guy and went into the dining room and invited myself to sit down with him and eat.
Found out he was an ex-Pro Football player and his girlfriend was in the hospital for some surgery that would prepare her for a heart transplant. We spent some time together, even playing dominos in his girlfriend's room. Her name is Tamera. I told him about my wife and he and I prayed together several times. We prayed for Carla and Tamera. As we left the hospital, I got their phone number and wanted to hear when she was going to get her heart.
When we left to go to Houston last week, I called and talked to Tamera. She was still waiting for her heart. Carla had her surgery last Thursday and went home from the hospital on Saturday. We are staying at our daughter's house in Houston. On Sunday, I got a text message from Tamera. Her heart was in Houston and she was heading for the hospital.
Today, we had to go back to the hospital and get a checkup on my wife's surgery. While we were at the hospital, we went by the cardiac transplant unit and met Tamera's dad. She got her heart last Sunday night. She is having a few complications but everything seems to be alright. God blessed me and let me meet this wonderful person.
Listen to the video, It starts out by saying that this game of baseball is only 1/2 skill, the other half heart. Well the same could be said for life itself. You gotta have heart and Tamera got her new one.
Life is exciting if you just listen. God will lead you if you let him.
Please take care of Tamera dear Lord and help her to heal.
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday Afternoon
I am now a week gone from my home. Carla is in Houston in rehab and here I am in Wimberley. The following song means a lot to me. Listen to it carefully and follow along with the lyrics.
God is starting to deal with me and I am starting to feel his presence. It comes on slowly but as the song says, "Something calls to me". I was beginning to understand that I did have a problem with alcohol. There is a tendency to compare yourself with other alcoholics and addicts. I found myself wanting to say, I am not that bad. The real truth is that addiction is addiction. It really doesn't come in degrees. I know some will argue that point with me but that is what makes this disease so baffling. It can make you understand almost anything. I talk to my daughter and tell her I am thinking about staying the whole 30 days and not just the two weeks that she and I had agreed on. Turmoil is just around the corner for me and thankfully I had a relationship with God to help me through it. Wednesday night, I find God in the strangest of places.
As they say, "It happens."
God is starting to deal with me and I am starting to feel his presence. It comes on slowly but as the song says, "Something calls to me". I was beginning to understand that I did have a problem with alcohol. There is a tendency to compare yourself with other alcoholics and addicts. I found myself wanting to say, I am not that bad. The real truth is that addiction is addiction. It really doesn't come in degrees. I know some will argue that point with me but that is what makes this disease so baffling. It can make you understand almost anything. I talk to my daughter and tell her I am thinking about staying the whole 30 days and not just the two weeks that she and I had agreed on. Turmoil is just around the corner for me and thankfully I had a relationship with God to help me through it. Wednesday night, I find God in the strangest of places.
As they say, "It happens."
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I saw God today...
It's Tuesday, Nov. 9 and my sister takes me to see my wife at St. David's Hospital. I know the following song shows talks about a baby, but in many ways I became a babe in Christ that day. Listen to the song, while you read my post.
Well, all I really remember is being in my wife's room at the hospital with my daughter. I remember just chatting for awhile and then Dr. Rice comes in. He's the doctor dealing with my wife's liver problems. He goes on to say that she has alcoholic hepatitis which was caused by alcohol. That was the reason that she had turned yellow. Her liver was swollen and she was sick. Dr. Rice looked straight at her and said that the next drink of alcohol could kill her. She told him straight up that she was through drinking. Now comes the God part. This doctor then turns to me and says that in situations like this the spouse has an alcohol problem too. I have never seen this man before and he called me out. I told him that I was through drinking too. I knew that right then and there God got my attention. God showed himself to me through a doctor, a complete stranger. He happened to come in while I was in her room. It was then and there that I realized how unmanageable my life had become, but God was ready to help. What a blessing.
My journey to sobriety starts that evening. My daughter had already asked me to get help in counseling and I said no that I could handle it. She told me I could either do it the easy way or the hard way.
Of course an alcoholic will pick the hard way. THE INTERVENTION is next.
Well, all I really remember is being in my wife's room at the hospital with my daughter. I remember just chatting for awhile and then Dr. Rice comes in. He's the doctor dealing with my wife's liver problems. He goes on to say that she has alcoholic hepatitis which was caused by alcohol. That was the reason that she had turned yellow. Her liver was swollen and she was sick. Dr. Rice looked straight at her and said that the next drink of alcohol could kill her. She told him straight up that she was through drinking. Now comes the God part. This doctor then turns to me and says that in situations like this the spouse has an alcohol problem too. I have never seen this man before and he called me out. I told him that I was through drinking too. I knew that right then and there God got my attention. God showed himself to me through a doctor, a complete stranger. He happened to come in while I was in her room. It was then and there that I realized how unmanageable my life had become, but God was ready to help. What a blessing.
My journey to sobriety starts that evening. My daughter had already asked me to get help in counseling and I said no that I could handle it. She told me I could either do it the easy way or the hard way.
Of course an alcoholic will pick the hard way. THE INTERVENTION is next.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Running on Empty
This song by Jackson Browne describes me completely by Nov. 5, 2010. My wife's skin and eyes were yellow and she was in for a sonogram that day. Listen while I tell the rest...
Nov. 5, 2010 was a Friday. That morning my wife had gone to our doctor by herself because she was hurting and was yellow. I was scared. That afternoon, we went for the sonogram of her stomach area. Results didn't come in that day, so we had to wait for Monday. My daughter came to town to help out. I had my last drink on Nov. 7, 2010. That was a Sunday night.
The doctor's office called on Monday morning and told my wife to go to the hospital. My daughter took her to St. David's. My daughter was upset that I didn't come. But I was really scared. I couldn't fix anything at this time and was powerless. My daughter even sent a deputy sheriff by the house to check on me.
All I could tell him was I was washing underwear in order to go to the hospital. I was very nervous, but I was not drinking at all.
All that I remember from there, was that one of my sister's came to my house the next day, (this is the same one that had made the unannounced visit a few weeks earlier) to take me to see my wife at the hospital.
I got to the hospital and my wife was yellow but seemed OK.
At this point I truly was "Running on Empty". I get to see God that day, but that is for the next post...
Nov. 5, 2010 was a Friday. That morning my wife had gone to our doctor by herself because she was hurting and was yellow. I was scared. That afternoon, we went for the sonogram of her stomach area. Results didn't come in that day, so we had to wait for Monday. My daughter came to town to help out. I had my last drink on Nov. 7, 2010. That was a Sunday night.
The doctor's office called on Monday morning and told my wife to go to the hospital. My daughter took her to St. David's. My daughter was upset that I didn't come. But I was really scared. I couldn't fix anything at this time and was powerless. My daughter even sent a deputy sheriff by the house to check on me.
All I could tell him was I was washing underwear in order to go to the hospital. I was very nervous, but I was not drinking at all.
All that I remember from there, was that one of my sister's came to my house the next day, (this is the same one that had made the unannounced visit a few weeks earlier) to take me to see my wife at the hospital.
I got to the hospital and my wife was yellow but seemed OK.
At this point I truly was "Running on Empty". I get to see God that day, but that is for the next post...
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