Being Grateful

 Around 1980 I discovered something in Buddhism called: "The Leisure to Practice". I sort of thought of it sort of like how in Thailand the culture is often young men might be monks until they marry historically and wear the yellow robes of Thai Buddhist monks, then they get married and raise their families and support them. And after the children are raised traditionally they might become Thai Buddhist Monks again until they pass on.

So, as I contemplated "The Leisure to Practice" how I viewed it as an American was being able to retire at a young enough age where I would be free to pray for everyone the rest of my life while still living comfortably. So, around 1980 I began praying for this outcome.

However, I had no idea how God would create this in my life even though I was praying for this from 1980 until I got a heart virus in 1998.

My first symptom in Fall of 1998 was that I couldn't feel my arms when I woke up one day. I was 50 years old. So, because I was still able to walk I walked into the bathroom and my lips were blue so I just kind of thought logically that I was going to die pretty soon. So, I called my son on the land line phone then to come and pick me up because my father had died in an ambulance in 1985 and so I felt like I might die in an ambulance too if I called for one.

So, as I waited for my son to come pick me up the angels came to me. I think around 9 angels came to me and surrounded me. Then I really really believed I must be dying and that they had come to take me to heaven. However, instead this is what they said in Unison to me:

"You aren't going to die! Your life will get Better now!" They kept saying this over and over again until every cell of my body believed them. However, I'm an adult human male and I've been through a lot in my life and so there is always a part of my mind that says: "Is This Real?" but of course it was. 

So, then my son arrived and took me to the hospital and I told the doctors and nurses in the ER of my experience with angels that day.

They basically said to me: "Oh! We have people tell us near death stories like this almost every day so we have gotten used to it over time."

I was actually pleased to hear that I wasn't the only one they had heard of that actually had experiences with angels in my life.

However, the angels were right. After 9 months of almost dying and being forced to retire at age 50 MY LIFE Got BETTER!

However, it did take me about 5 years to get used to being retired. However, being a family based person I was okay with this change because I mostly had stayed alive for my then 2 1/2 year old daughter and my 10 year old daughter and my then likely 23 year old son.

So, I have a lot to be grateful for in that I was alive to raise my then 2 1/2 year old daughter and to help raise my then 10 year old daughter and to be in my son's life too and I could also be there for my wife when her mother died in April of 1999 one month before I was told by doctors that I was going to live and not die soon.

So, being Grateful ever since has been a way of life for me and I'm grateful for every moment I have with my family and friends ever since May of 1999 when I was told I wasn't going to die then.

By God's Grace