PROLOGUE:

BE CERTAIN TO REFRESH YOUR COMPUTER BEFORE READING THIS BLOG.  THE BLOG HAS BEEN EDITED SINCE I ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IT.  REFRESHING YOUR SCREEN SHOULD ALLOW THE CURRENT COPY TO BE AVAILABLE. THANK  YOU

Friday August 19 2016  GOD’S TIMING IS ALWAYS PERFECT

Before I fall asleep in my chair I must get busy and write today’s blog.  An interesting day to say the least. 

Original “plans” for the day was to leave about 8:00 a.m. for an early workout.  My workouts are minimal at present due to my broken ribs and strained leg muscle.  My leg hurts when I exercise, hurts if I don’t exercise, and since it tightens up so bad when I don’t exercise, I psyche myself up to do so every other day.  I believe my leg seems to perform better and stays more lubricated the days I workout.  The 8:00 a.m. plans to leave for the gym did not work out due to small duties performed at home. 

It is my prayer and goal each day to be in God’s will; to be where He wants and needs me to be, and that He will give me opportunity to speak encouragement to those He brings my way.  So by 10:30 a.m. I am finally working out at the gym.  When I arrived I reserved a time for a water massage at the end of my workout.  When my time for the massage came up it was occupied by someone else.  So I waited and waited.  I did a few upper-body exercises, and then walked back to the restroom area since the massage room was still unavailable.  A lady stumbled toward me having just come out of one of the locked shower/bathrooms, bumped into me and gently took hold of my arm. I could barely hear her whisper to me that she needed my help.  She asked for a piece of hard candy due to her low blood sugar.  I could tell she was in trouble.

I quickly found a hard candy in my bag and gave it to her.  The massage room opened up at that precise moment and I was planning to turn that way when a word of caution came to my heart that I should not leave her.  She was much worse off than I first realized.  The lady had gone into one a shower/restroom and realized she was about to pass out due to her diabetic condition and did not want to be isolated in a locked room.  She told me later that she was fearful that she might faint because she had not eaten before leaving home that morning.  She thought she could get away without eating.  About that time Dave came out of another one of the rooms and I motioned for him to come help me.  My “new friend” practically collapsed on a bench. Dave quickly grabbed a couple of floor mats and we were able to help her lie down on her back and we positioned her feet on the bench above her head.  I kept talking to her trying to keep her coherent.  I wanted to call 911 because I recognized all the signs of a diabetic’s sugar crash but she was just coherent enough to insist I not call.  I finally got her name and phone number from her but it was not easy to do because but she was not thinking clearly.  I kept prodding her and talking and telling her if she didn’t answer me I would call 911.  I gave her another candy and slowly she started coming around.  Had she closed her eyes and not responded for one millisecond I was ready to call 911 immediately. 

I refused to leave her side until the feeling in her hands returned, the tremors stopped, she was upright, walking, and of sound mind.  I stayed with her as she regrouped herself, the sugar having worked its temporary magic.  I have been present with Dave a few times when his blood sugar plummeted and it is not a good feeling knowing he was in such a state.  It is always a frightening experience.  Dave was the provider of the second piece of candy for her.  He ALWAYS carries hard candy with him.

My new friend and I had a long talk.  She was an extremely bright and well spoken woman once her brain was given the sugar it needed to function.  I know it takes a few moments for the sugars to kick in but she didn’t realize how close she was to being taken away by an ambulance if I had my say about it.  I was praying. 

All the little details that lined up to put me right where I was when she came staggering out of the restroom were apparent to me.  First off, I was delayed at home (and I might add that it was on a day when I usually do not workout at all).  Secondly the massage room was not available for me at the time I had reserved, thirdly, I knew what protocol to follow, had a piece of candy in my workout bag, summoned more help, extracted contact information from her (which was no easy feat with her not thinking clearly), found out which hospital she wanted to be transported to, and willingly stayed with her through the entire event to make certain she was okay.  We also had a long talk afterwards, punctuated by a few cautionary suggestions on my part.  I think I will see her again.  That is a good feeling because I believe God allows us to be available for His work, at His timing, for a specific reason.  It was a hard way to become acquainted with her but I think there will be more to this story in the future.  When I finally left I thanked God for being with us the entire time.

Perhaps by sharing this story there will be those who may say I should have handled it differently, but I felt God’s presence and knew that I was doing the right thing by taking care of her immediate needs, planning for the split second should she need further help, and making certain she was back to feeling like her “normal” self (as she described it), before we parted.  I do hope this incident makes a great impact on her regarding the necessity of taking caution with what she eats and when she eats it in regards to being diabetic.  I do hope she follows up with a Doctor’s visit.

Two weeks ago when I fell I too declined a 911 call.  Was it my best decision?  Maybe not.  At the time I did not feel as if my injuries were bad enough to disrupt my day, my trip, and my fellow travelers.  But since I have been home I have had three doctor visits, one scan, one x-ray, and lots and lots of pain.  Would I do it differently if it happened again?  I guess I can’t answer that unless it happens again, but I will tell you one thing I learned; I don’t plan to run so fast next time.  Maybe I’ll even take my husband’s advice and decide that perhaps I should start acting my age!  Hmmph!  I hope that never happens!

 

ALL IN A DAY

By Kathleen Martens

August 19, 2016 

 

When a day

Goes not as planned,

Give it to God

And make no demands.

 

So when things

Don’t go my way,

I relinquish to God,

“Do it Your way”.

 

And where He wants me

I will go

Even when it means

I must go slow.

 

No complaints

To come from my lips,

Even when inconvenience

At my heels nip.

 

One never knows

God’s special timing,

Why delays happen

With hours climbing.

 

So much to do

We set a frantic pace,

But God sees the picture

And decides our place.

 

So my day unfolds

And I never know,

Exactly how,

My day will go.

 

And when I give it to God

It all works out,

I give Him control

With nary a doubt.

 

Thank You God that Your timing is always perfect!

Thank You Lord for using me today to help someone else.

Thank You too that I met this delightful and interesting woman and that she is okay.

Thank You that Dave was also available with a second piece of candy.

Thank You that Dave’s diabetes is now non-existence after so many years.

Thank You for Dave’s commitment to being faithful to his eating plan which gives him excellent blood sugar levels.  

Thank You for the food You provide for us.

Thank You Father that You love each and every one You have created.

Thank You for Werther’s Hard Candy.

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!

 

P.S.  I am still waiting on the information I need from my Uncle John’s children to help me finish and publish my next edition of “A PICTURE INTO THE PAST”.  Hopefully we will make contact today.

P.S.S.  I stopped by the store on the way home and purchased a new supply of Werther’s and Peppermint hard candies.  I plan to restock my bag before I go to the gym again.