Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

 My stay in the hospital ICU for 3 1/2 days last week was fortuitous, I deeply believe.  I was in (and check out the link, guys, to see the beautiful resort where I was hanging out!) Mercy Regional Medical Center set back at 1010 Three Springs Boulevard, Durango, Colorado, a facility that opened less than 3 months ago - just for me, I'm convinced.

Durango in the fall has to be one of the most beautiful places on God's earth and He certainly got carried away with His paint brush in liberally splashing all the leaves of the trees with brilliant golds, deep reds, magentas, scarlet red and pumpkin orange.  The mountain ranges with their snow covered peaks were the backdrop and the windows in my room looked out to the west to the gorgeous setting sun every day over the lower hills with their log cabin homes slashed out of their slopes.

I had three ICU/Critical Care specialists, two of whom are also Pulmonologists, so they knew their stuff when it comes to altitude sickness and breathing problems.  The doctors and the nurses, both male and female, became friends and I exchanged addresses and email addresses with some of them and we invited down here to south Mississippi any time they'd like to come visit.

 My first nurse, the night nurse, Robin, became a dear friend and I loved her quiet, yet fiery spirit.  She is Navaho, married to George, who is half Navaho-half Chippawa.  She is a slight young woman who I was surprised to find had served in the Marine Corps for 3 years out of high school.  George has always wanted to come to New Orleans, so I invited them to come stay with us when they do and I sure hope they will.

I bid her Godspeed the second night I was there because her four nights of nursing were over for a few days.  But we hugged and I told her to encourage her 23 year old daughter to stay in school to become an attorney if that is what her heart is set on.  I hope she will.

My nurse my last day was young Suzanne of Fayetteville, Arkansas, who is married to my ICU doctor, Allen, of that day.  The dynamic duo (he's from Searcy) scored big with me and Tom in that Allen went to LSU medical school and they both love Jazz Fest!!  So Tom invited them down next time they want to come to Jazz Fest (always the last weekend in April/first weekend in May in New Orleans).

We hope they'll come, too!  The more the merrier.

I'll tell you some more about my other nurses as we go along, but for today that is enough except to mention all of the ones I had and came to know by name right here and now because they deserve my praise and accolades.  I had Robin, Jim, Mark (sort of), Robin again, Merry, Ingrid and the sweet Suzanne.  Charlotte was my "case manager" (and I was a case, let me tell you) who got me set up with the 10 tanks of oxygen and the concentrator machine to use oxygen at night.  She was most helpful.

I've been telling you about how happy I was the entire time I was in there, once I got to feeling better with the good supply of oxygen, the IVs, the pulse/oxygen thingy, the cardiac leads, the catheter - all that good stuff.  But I have to admit I did have just a couple of down moments, which considering, I thought wasn't bad at all.

The first time I cried was on Wednesday evening just as Tom finished canceling out all of our long held reservations to the unique and expensive  boutique hotels with the beamed ceiling rooms and kiva fireplaces, etc.  The champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries on arrival.  The wines and cheeses with other guests in the afternoons and the huge, palatial breakfasts each morning.

My cry didn't last long because Robin rushed into my room telling me my "stats" had just quickly fallen and she was worried about me.  Tom was, too, and said, "see - there's another reason not to cry (he so hates when I cry) - it makes your stats fall!"

Then I cried about 4 a.m. the next morning when I woke up feeling somewhat uncomfortable with my stomach still hurting from being so irritated because I'd thrown up so much for two days and nights straight.  I started thinking about being there all alone in the middle of the dark night when we would have been in a luxurious room together somewhere if I can't gotten sick.  

In other words - I was feeling sorry for myself.

So I called Robin, who came in and I felt much better after talking with her for a while.  She got me some medicine to ease my stomach and we talked of fun things and good husbands and our lives and what life means and how to live it.

I asked her if she could find me a Bible and she did and left me to read it.  I read Matt. 5,6 & 7 - Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" and I was happy again and went back to sleep.

Those were the two times I cried.  The "1/2" time I cried was for a different reason.  It was Friday morning and I had been unhooked from part of my paraphernalia and was sitting up in a chair next to my bed waiting for breakfast.  The intercom system came on with the morning devotional and the passage was from Isaiah 40, one of my favorites.  

As I listened to the words, I began to cry because of the new meaning they held for me.  God lifting us up as with the wings of Eagles.  We had seen a golden eagle soaring high above the cabin on Monday.  

Then Isaiah talks about the young men fainting and being weary and I thought of my altitude sickness and how God had delivered me and was delivering me as I heard the blessed words.  It made me cry with joy.  So, I leave them with you, too, today.   

Have a blessed day, y'all.  Be thankful for all you have and have a blessed day.  Share your blessings with someone else today who may need them.  We all do, you know.  We all need them abundantly, and I have abundant blessings.

Isaiah 40: 

²⁸ Do you not know?
       Have you not heard?
       The LORD is the everlasting God,
       the Creator of the ends of the earth.
       He will not grow tired or weary,
       and his understanding no one can fathom.

    ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

    ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

    ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

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