Heart Trouble

It was an interesting week which some of you may have followed on Facebook. I was admitted to the local hospital last Thursday following an ER visit for chest discomfort. There's nothing quite like a hospital stay to throttle your world a bit.

I wasn't concerned about having suffered an actual heart attack but did want to err on the side of caution to avoid such an episode. This was my first ER visit, for myself, in quite a few years and I must admit I was taken aback by how quickly they ushered me to a room following check-in. I guess my dad was right: mention you're having chest pain and you go to the front of the line!

Thankfully, following a full battery of labs, EKG's, a stress test and CT scans, the docs confirmed there were NO heart issues. In fact, I was pretty impressed I did so well on the stress test and learned even my cholesterol had dropped.

I share all of this to say that sometimes we need an abrupt STOP in our lives. This gives us time to ponder where we are and if that's really where we should be, and want to be. I'm not done re-evaluating my life yet - not my a long shot - because frankly that's a lifelong process. I don't think I'm fully recovered from the shock of a hospital stay and the realization there COULD have been heart issues noted. Then, how would I have acted, what would I have thought? It's a little numbing to consider the possibilities but I don't dwell on them.

To me, God is bigger than anything life can throw at me. Still, to think a serious diagnosis could have been reached is sobering. I think of my four kids and I can't imagine missing one moment of watching them grow. That's enough to give me pause - and to be grateful for the time I do have.