My Near Death Experience...
Sometimes things happen in our lives that make us stop and realize what's important. My weekend was a good weekend. Pretty much like all the others. Up Saturday morning for a soccer game with the kids. Driving to St. Francisville to got to a friends art show (OK we don't do that all the time I'll give you that) Watching Game 3 of the world series. Go Red Sox... Get up Sunday morning and get the family ready for church... Go early to practice cause I play drums for the worship team... We rock out the service, have a great time... then go to my parents house for lunch. We have to hurry up and eat, at least me and my older daughter, because she has soccer practice at 2PM and I'm coaching the team... gotta be there on time!!!
We were having spaghetti for dinner with garlic bread toasted in the oven... you know the really good kind with lots of butter that is toasted just right so it's crumbly. You know what I mean... anyway, I put some spaghetti sauce on my bread (thats the only way to eat it) and go to take a bite just as someone says something funny where I inhale and have a bunch of the crumbly pieces of bread go down my throat!!! I find myself choking... I spit my food out and stand up... I'm starting to get worried cause I can't breathe. My mom and brother in law start to stand up thinking the Heimlich might be necessary... I am actually coughing a little, which means I'm getting a small bit of air. The coughs are very shallow as are the breaths... I make my way to the sink and turn on the water and find my self wheezing. It seems that my throat must have swollen up or something, as I hear my daughters ages 4 and 8 saying Daddy are you OK? I turn and look at them and see tears in their eyes, "Daddy are you OK?" After what seems like an eternity I'm finally breathing somewhat normally and I return to the table, though I can't talk because it throws me into a coughing fit... I sit down in my seat again with a daughter on each side of me as they lean in and give me a huge hug. "Daddy are you OK?" I squeak out an "I'm OK" followed by a tirade of coughs... Crisis averted.. I finish my spaghetti, but couldn't bring myself to eat anymore bread...
My daughter and I leave for soccer practice... I'm back to normal... She begins to tell me a story told by someone at school about a family member at the hospital that is brought back to life... (CPR) I explain about CPR and she asks does that work when someone is Old... I told her that sometimes it does... Other times the person is just gone... She then asks me how old I will live to be where I tell her as long as I can, as long as the Lord gives me... She tells me she wants to do that (CPR) to me when I get Old so I can live another 50 years...
My heart is breaking at this point... My oldest daughter has had her first real thoughts about a parent dying...
Cherish the time that you have!!! Don't forsake anything. Realize what is important and hug your family one extra time every day when you leave for work...
Patch
We were having spaghetti for dinner with garlic bread toasted in the oven... you know the really good kind with lots of butter that is toasted just right so it's crumbly. You know what I mean... anyway, I put some spaghetti sauce on my bread (thats the only way to eat it) and go to take a bite just as someone says something funny where I inhale and have a bunch of the crumbly pieces of bread go down my throat!!! I find myself choking... I spit my food out and stand up... I'm starting to get worried cause I can't breathe. My mom and brother in law start to stand up thinking the Heimlich might be necessary... I am actually coughing a little, which means I'm getting a small bit of air. The coughs are very shallow as are the breaths... I make my way to the sink and turn on the water and find my self wheezing. It seems that my throat must have swollen up or something, as I hear my daughters ages 4 and 8 saying Daddy are you OK? I turn and look at them and see tears in their eyes, "Daddy are you OK?" After what seems like an eternity I'm finally breathing somewhat normally and I return to the table, though I can't talk because it throws me into a coughing fit... I sit down in my seat again with a daughter on each side of me as they lean in and give me a huge hug. "Daddy are you OK?" I squeak out an "I'm OK" followed by a tirade of coughs... Crisis averted.. I finish my spaghetti, but couldn't bring myself to eat anymore bread...
My daughter and I leave for soccer practice... I'm back to normal... She begins to tell me a story told by someone at school about a family member at the hospital that is brought back to life... (CPR) I explain about CPR and she asks does that work when someone is Old... I told her that sometimes it does... Other times the person is just gone... She then asks me how old I will live to be where I tell her as long as I can, as long as the Lord gives me... She tells me she wants to do that (CPR) to me when I get Old so I can live another 50 years...
My heart is breaking at this point... My oldest daughter has had her first real thoughts about a parent dying...
Cherish the time that you have!!! Don't forsake anything. Realize what is important and hug your family one extra time every day when you leave for work...
Patch
posted by Patrick J. Mehaffey at 11:37 AM
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