Ups and Downs

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” *  

 On New Year’s Day, Al and I joined a large group of people on an organized walk around the cemetery adjacent to our house. Actually, it was 9:00 am on a bright, clear morning that we walkers gathered together, first at the nearby mall. The temperature was probably close to freezing and a gusty wind was blowing making it feel even colder. No shorts and t shirts that day!

After turning in donations of canned food that would be given to a local food bank and receiving instructions, like watching out for black ice, everyone began walking in the direction of the cemetery. The distance to be walked was between 2 and 5 K, making it doable for a wide variety of folks including those with physical limitations. In our case, the bone chilling cold finally convinced us to shorten the walk. In fact, most people were finished within the hour!

 Unfortunately, Al picked up a bad cough after that event. It seemed to worsen after a few days, lodging in his chest. On the spur of the moment, he decided to go to an urgent care facility.

The PA who saw him confirmed that it was bronchitis. She was thorough, also having an x ray of his chest taken there at the office to check for pneumonia. While looking at the x ray, she found a shadowy spot on the aortic artery leading out from the heart down to the abdomen.

“By the way, do you know that you have an aortic aneurysm?” she asked Al. He was shocked by her question. The PA told him that it was quite large and wanted him to go straight to the emergency room!

Instead, he convinced her to set up an appointment with a vascular surgeon and arrangements were made for the following morning. Then he headed home with prescriptions, the disc of his x ray and quite a story to tell. We were both anxious, not knowing what to expect.

When we walked into the waiting room for Al’s appointment, there were hardly any seats available. Many people had walkers, were laboring to breathe and obviously in pain. Were they all having issues related to aneurysms, we wondered? It was especially alarming when three medics rolled a man in on a gurney. They all stayed in the crowded waiting room until the doctor was free to see him.

After an examination, the vascular surgeon told Al that he’d like to have more definitive testing done. The x ray wasn’t clear enough to tell if it was an aneurysm. He didn’t seem worried, but rather wanted to give Al enough time to get the testing done and wanted to see him again in about two weeks. In the meantime, life could go on as usual, just avoiding strenuous exercise. Moderate exercising at the gym would be okay once the bronchitis was gone.

His calm demeanor relaxed us and we left the office feeling relieved. Honestly, I had expected to go home after the visit, pack up a few things and then drive straight to the hospital. Praise the Lord for the reprieve, even though we didn’t know what was ahead.

Our fluctuating emotions reminded me of an experience I had as a preteen, learning how to body surf at the beach. I confidently assured my dad that I knew how to do it already when he began giving me some pointers. However, the first wave that I tried to ride to shore spun me around, pulled me down to the ocean floor and spewed me out on the sand. What power! I was quickly humbled.

Al’s aneurysm scare felt somewhat like that. I’m sure that we’ve all had times of feeling pushed around emotionally by the circumstances in our lives. However, in spite of being tossed about, we have an anchor—the hope of eternal life that Christ has given to us through his great sacrifice on the cross. There is nothing that can separate us from His wonderful love. Great news, eh?

 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)

*Hebrews 6:19a NIV

PS. When we went back to the Vascular Dr., his first comment to Al was, "Well, I guess I don't have to operate on you." There was no aneurysm! Praise the Lord!