I thought I had everything planned perfectly for Friday. My meetings were scheduled to be finished by 10:00 or so, and the fishing guide from River Run Outfitters was lined up and ready to go for an afternoon fly fishing trip. It was going to be an AWESOME day.
But Thursday came and things started changing. Rains were expected in the area, and around 7:00 that evening, the monsoon really set in. A constant downpour, severe lightning, flash flooding… horribly ugly weather. It even affected my level of joy early on in watching my beloved Missouri Tigers… the hotel I was staying in used satellite to receive its television signals, and the rains affected reception horribly. So hard to follow a game through ESPN GameCast and twitter!
But the game came back eventually. Mizzou looked GREAT for three quarters, absolutely dominating. And I was still flying high, my team winning, a great day planned for Friday… life was great.
In the 4th quarter, things imploded for my Tigers… I didn’t need the rain and spotty broadcast reception to take away the joy of watching the game, Mizzou did that just fine by themselves. They gave up 20 points in 5 minutes, and the game slipped away. It was sickening to watch. By the time the game was over, I was not a very happy camper… but worse, I was beginning to experience some serious stomach pain.
Sleep was nearly impossible, so I laid awake channel flipping, waiting for the pain to dissipate. 2:00 AM rolled around, then 2:30. Sleep finally overcame me. Awoke again at 4:00… shivering uncontrollably, abdominal pain still strong as ever. I debated going to the ER, but decided to just wait it out until morning to go to Urgent Care.
6:30 finally rolled around, and I loaded up my stuff to go. The downpour was still constant, and I got drenched just loading up. The weather forecast still gave a glimmer of hope for fishing… though 5 – 8 inches of rain had hit the area, the rain was supposed to stop by afternoon. Just had to get to urgent care, get some medication, and I’d be good to go.
So I thought. Urgent care wouldn’t take me… they don’t do abdominal pain, that’s an issue for the Emergency Room. I was admitted promptly, and tests began. Around 11:00, they decided I needed a full CT scan of my abdomen… white blood cell counts were high, indicating infection, and the pain I was having was indicative of appendicitis. So much for fishing! By 1:30, I’d finished the CT scan (note to medical professionals: can’t you add some flavor to those dye solutions… NASTY stuff!). The verdict was in by 2:15… surgery. The appendix was the culprit, and had to go.
My best laid plans were shot to crap. I was 250 miles from home, alone in a hospital, faced with surgery in less than an hour. I was an emotional wreck. Not about the surgery (I know God is in control of my health, and trust that He’s MORE than capable of taking care of me)… but I needed my wife and kids there with me. I called Nancy to share the news through tears. I called work to let them know my predicament, and rediscovered why I work for the best company in the world… they said they’d get a plane ready and would have my family there as soon as they could. I called my dad, to let him know what was going on. I called Nancy again. And then I was off to surgery. Such a whirlwind of activity, stress, emotion, and prayer.
Everything went fine, of course, and around 6:30 Nancy and the kids arrived to see me. Jeffrey and the girls were SO excited that they’d got to fly in a plane… I was just excited to see them. My family was together again, and all was once again right with the world.
Once again, I received a lesson about the true level of control I really have over life, and over the things that truly matter in this world. I can make whatever plans I want, but only God is sovereign over all. Only He can control the wind, rains, and weather. Only He can control the very processes that make life possible on a moment by moment basis. He blesses us in so many ways, and gives us so much to be thankful for.
It’s apparent now that God wanted me to slow down a bit and reconsider these things. Between the stress of work, family activities, and church stuff, I’ve been far too busy just doing life in recent weeks to actually live it and enjoy the blessings He gives.
It’s a hard-learned lesson, but one we all need to be reminded of every once in a while.
Wow. Quite a story.
I’m happy to be retired, but if I DID want to work, I think I’d want to work for whatever company you work for. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Glad you’re doing well.