No Coincidences

Tag: near death

  • Recovery

    Recovery

    Since I wrote that dramatic post about my near death it’s probably good etiquette to write a follow up about how I’m recovering.

    The human body is a truly extraordinary thing.  Blows my mind that some people think this thing that has a trillion parts working perfectly together can have fallen together like a puzzle from the sky.  My healing has gone extremely well.  It’s gone so well that Beth has had to remind me on multiple occasions about the seriousness of my accident.

    Seriously.  I think about what happened, and it doesn’t coincide with how smoothly my recovery has been.  That’s not to say it’s been a complete walk in the park.  There is a fair amount of pain, my head is constantly leaking, my arm hurts.  All in all, it’s not that bad.

    The truth is, my comfortable recovery may be due in large part to my on-staff nurse (I love you!).  Beth has been the most attentive, caring, helpful person ever.  Sometimes I wonder how she’s caring for me and a newborn all at the same time.  Beth has daily and sometimes multiple times a day re-dressed my wounds.  She’s taken off the bandages, helped clean, re-anoint, re-bandage my head and shoulder at least once a day since I was hurt.  No wonder I’m healing well.

    There was one night that was extraordinarily painful.  The fifth night I think it was.  We had wrapped my arm and shoulder like normal.  Over the course of the night it itched and stung and hurt.  Around 11pm I unwrapped the wound.  I applied more ointment which didn’t help.  Then I made a potentially grave mistake.  We have some antiseptic numbing spray that in bold red letters on the bottle says “NO STING.”  The greatest act of false advertising in the history of false advertising.  The only defense I can think of is maybe they claim it’s no sting, instead it BURNS.  It hurt so bad. 

    I spent four hours basically pacing around in pain.  It’s crazy, a gaping head wound and it’s the road rash that is hurting, by far, the most.

    Again, I feel extraordinarily blessed with how I’ve improved.  I even worked a half day the first week.  I would have worked another half day if not for the great night of burning arm.  I attribute my recovery, apart from my visible angel here with me (Beth), to the same thing I attribute my life.  I believe God and angels I can’t see are attending to me daily.

    I want to thank everyone for their support while I’ve been hurt.  It’s heart-warming to get messages of love and care from so many people.

    In my last post I talked about the two things my mind rested on.  God and family.  There’s something that wasn’t said that I want to make sure is extremely clear.  Family doesn’t only mean blood family.  We’re all family here and while I’ve been blessed with the most amazing blood family, in-laws, wife, and daughter, it’s my extended, non-blood family that feels over the top.

    As I’ve been hurt I’ve thought about all the people in my life that I can rely on.  When I came to Arizona I moved away from all family.  I didn’t know that I’d end up having so many people basically adopt me into their care.  Friends that will drop anything to help me, offers for me to come over for holidays, help moving, help with my car.  I was blessed with a roommate who’s family became my family away from home. 

    There are so many people I owe so much to.

    This is personal, something I’ve never told anyone.  In my prayers I often ask God what I did to deserve so much love?  A loving family, loving friends.  So many people that care for and watch out for me.  It’s something I’ve asked often.  I don’t know what I did to deserve so many amazing people in my life.  All I know is I’m grateful for them.

    So, thank you everyone for continuing to help us and watch over us.  Thank you for the love.  It means so much. 

    God and family.

    ____________________________________

    Here is the progression of my arm healing (If you’re looking for day by day healing updates on my head, gross, go watch pimple popper videos). By the way, I’m not flexing in all those pictures, I still can’t fully extend my right arm:

    Day 1
    Day 1
    Day 2
    Day 3
    Day 3
    Day 3
    Day 3
    Day 4
    Day 4
    Day 5
    Day 11
    Day 11

    Can’t end with mutilated arm pictures, to lighten things up:

  • At Peace in the Light

    At Peace in the Light

    By Dannion Brinkley with Paul Perry

    Copyright 1995

    _________________________________

    I don’t recommend books to people often.  This book I recommended directly to a cousin.  This was a great book. I wonder if I say that about every book I read…

    At Peace in the Light is a true story of a man who has died twice.  Both times he was struck by lightning.  Both times he returned to his body.

    I guess not everyone would believe this to be a true story.  I love near death experiences. I am all in on belief in near death experiences. They often support what I believe to be true of the afterlife.

    I often joke that being struck by lighting would be the way to go.  I say that’s a clear indication that God needs you back pronto.  Dannion’s story made me rethink this slightly.  His return to his body was an excruciating experience.  His body was destroyed both times, inside and out, by the lightning strike.

    Two very interesting points from this book.

    • Dannion’s near death experience gave him special abilities.

    Dannion became famous as a psychic.  It seems whatever happened to him left him with some ability to speak or understand the souls of individuals around him.  It’s fascinating to read his description of his “powers” for lack of a better word.

    • Dannion’s near death experience led him into an interesting career change.

    After Dannion was struck by lightning he received clear instruction on what he was supposed to do.  His purpose was to setup a center to help people spiritually transition into death.  Dannion describes a major issue with our society being the fear of death.  It was his new purpose in life to help people transition into their next life.

    It’s partly for this reason that Dannion transitioned into hospice care.  To hear Dannion describe the rewarding experience of caring for the dying made me reconsider somewhat what is important in life.  Near death experience books often help me re-orient my priorities.

    We live this life to die. Ultimately, the most important moment of this life will be how we die.

    I have a new appreciation for the sanctity and importance of hospice care. The cousin I recommended this book to works in this field.

    I have had one experience with “assisting” someone (for lack of a better word) who was near death.  A friend’s mother-in law was nearing the end.  She had battled with cancer and it was time. This friend is not a member of my faith, but, in his words, “we don’t really know our priest.  We know you.”   So, he asked me to come give her a priesthood blessing.

    It was a unique, uplifting, powerful experience I will never forget.  This lady I didn’t know, had never met, was so frail.  You never know what a person is thinking in these last moments. It’s hard to understand the pain, fear, acceptance, peace; whatever emotions and feelings they are experiencing.  It was an honor to get to lay my hands on her head and let her know her Father wanted her home, and soon the pain would be gone.  Soon she would be happier than she could imagine.  Though she would miss her children here, and they would miss her, it was time for her to progress into the next part of her journey.

    This was one experience I had with a person moving on. It has impacted me ever since. It was something I’ll never forget. Imagine having thousands of these important experiences.

    For anyone that hasn’t read a near death experience book, At Peace in the Light may not be the best place to start. It kind of jumps into the topic.  I still recommend it. It may leave you asking for more.