My ER trip...

We were all geared up for a great time as a couple, had found a babysitter and were off for the Friday night portion of a Friday/Saturday couples retreat at the H.oliday I.nn here in town. It was great, we attended with 3 other couples from our church and probably around 25 other couples from this and the surrounding states. Last night we were to sit at a table with people we DIDN'T know. There was a wonderful older couple from about 4 hours away and then another couple that is from a wonderful place, as far as I am concerned. It just so happened that a very wonderful great aunt and uncle of mine was from their town of about 27,000 and they knew her! Not to mention the fact that the wife served on the same community playhouse board as my dear Aunt A...but not a bit surprise as most people from NP, NE have at least heard of her because she is simply WONDERFUL.

Back to the story line...the theme of the retreat was Conflicts to Intimacy and it was wonderful. There were specific couple conflicts and then there were church conflicts that were dealt with. It was encouraged that men in church leadership positions come and bring their wives. What a sweet time it was. After the session last night the 6 others from our church invited us to join them at A.pplebees and what a glorious time we had. You see we are fairly new to the church and are still working on building relationships and getting to know the sweet SWEET people! After finishing we walked out to our cars together and it was extremely slippery due to heavy fog all day. Jason was a great husband and help me up all the way to our suburban but as we got to the back of it we let go of each other to walk up to our separate side doors. I made it one step and took a pretty hard fall. Much of the rest of this account I know because of what I have been told, I really do not remember much.

Soon my husband (J) and our new pastor (MB) and wife (B) were on the ground around me talking to me trying to get me to respond. Apparently I had knocked myself unconscious, eyes rolled back in my head and all! MB ran to our other friends (MG & T) who were already in their car and told them what happened while J & B got me up into the front seat of our suburban. B jumped into the 2nd seat and held my head straight while J drove very carefully to the ER. MB, MG, & MT followed in their vehicles. I don't remember much of the trip, I do remember going by the street that we used to live on thinking we should turn and go home, remembering we didn't live there anymore but NOT remembering where we did live! I do not remember getting to the ER at all. The next thing I remember way laying in a bed at the ER with B standing in the doorway and J by my side while I held an ice pack up to the VERY large egg on the back of my head! I said something to J about hoping that he wouldn't make me throw my shoes away because they weren't very good on the ice. They were prepping me for a CAT scan, I do not remember. I do remember being rolled to the other room for that scan and seeing MG standing there with a terribly concerned look on his face and starting to cry again because they shouldn't be making this much of a fuss over me! Then the memory is gone again. Apparently they did the scan and rolled me back to the other room where I kept asking J the same questions over and over. I received a shot in the arm for pain, was released and sent home. I remember standing by the door and having B ask me if I was okay. I told her that I was scared since there was so much that I didn't remember. For a brief time last night I didn't even remember I had children! I was out of it. B proceeded to inform me that I shouldn't worry about it because it would just get me worked up, make me cry, and make my headache that much worse. I tried not to, but when someone doesn't remember what J tells me was between 2 & 3 HOURS of their life it is a little on the scary side!

They helped me get into the suburban and we were on our way home. TC & BC (our great sitters) offered to keep the kids over night since they were already sleeping and we were just going to be bringing them back early in the morning. J dropped me off at home, made me sit down and ran to feed our lawyer and his wives (and VERY GOOD FRIENDs) cat. I called my parents though it must have been after 1 their time because I didn't want to be alone.

The doc said I was to sleep with my head up so that the swelling wouldn't get any worse...how uncomfortable! I did manage to get a couple hours of sleep before getting up and getting ready for the Saturday portion of the retreat. When I woke this morning I was sore more than anything but particularly on one spot on my chest, I think that it is where my chin hit my chest in the impact of my head hitting the pavement. Throughout the day I took pain relievers to keep the headache at bay and kept moving my neck and head so as to not let it get too stiff. It was working pretty good, but as the day progressed I felt more areas of soreness showing up here and there and started getting a little more stiff in the neck.

But you know it could have been worse. It is very obvious that God protected last night. Having B (at nurse) right there and a husband that remained cool, calm, and collected to accomplish what needed to be done were to benefits right off. This could have happened while I was carrying one of my children and caused them injury as well! Yet another blessing. And to think of all the things that COULD have happened, bleeding or swelling on the brain. I could have lost more than just a couple hours of my memory. I could have bit my tongue off, broken my arms or legs...there are many different directions this COULD have gone. I choose to look at it as God protecting me. He knows I am a Mommy to the 2 most wonderful 2 year olds and they need me. He knows I am the wife to the greatest husband in the world and he needs me. He knows that I am a daycare provider and while those families need me for care our family needs the income. I am not saying that I am super important and that I am the glue that holds several instances together, but I am saying that God put me into these roles and wasn't ready to take them away from me in any capacity. It is proof that in an instant life can change an we have no control over it. God is in control...at this very moment I am thankful for that! I am thankful that it is only a while of stiff and sore and still a lifetime of raising our children, loving my husband, and building relationships with the very people that were so willing to 'scoop me up' last night.

You know we are blessed. We have been through some rough times the last few months but we have been surrounded by wonderful godly people that are behind us. We know and believe that, but just today while sitting at a table with 6 of these wonderful people MG sat next to my husband an happily told us that they are there while the other 5 nodded their heads in agreement. You know what, for the first time in several years I believe them...I have come to trust these dear people with all of my heart. And if you have known me in the last year or two I do not trust just anyone any more. That is the way a church family is suppose to be, TOGETHER. This retreat was awesome, the company was awesome, and our God is awesome. When was the last time you sat at a table of 4 men and 4 women all who love and serve God with their whole life and couldn't do anything but cry because of how great our God is? I had shut off my emotions for a while, back to the not trusting people. I wasn't going to let someone hurt me again...but you know what, I am not afraid any more. First of all because I know our current church family isn't waiting around the corner to pounce on us, they are walking beside us and we will all help each other through our difficult times. And second of all because once again we are seeing how wonderful God is and are striving with everything in us to live daily for Him. What safer place is there?

I challenge you to look at your life. If you were to have a life changing event happen in a split second would there be regrets? Are you surrounding yourself with godly people that work together to help people out? Do you know that you have placed your faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and have a relationship with him. That is the single most important thing you can ever know, if you know that I pray that you have the Christian family (related or not) to spend time around. I truly am blessed to have this in our lives right now.

Thank you MB, B, MG, T, TC, & BC for being available for us last night! It made a difficult situation much easier to get through!