The Day God Whacked Me Over the Head! :)

So, in my usual hurried state, I left work last Friday at 1 p.m. got into my car to head to get some lunch for the kids and then rush home to start work at my second job by 2 p.m.   I got into the car, started it, drove to the edge of the parking lot to pull out onto the main road here in Winchester and BAM - cold sweat drenched my body, I felt like I was going to throw up, and the my left arm went completely tingly and partially numb.   WOW - let me tell you it was a scary feeling.  I immediately called Chris and stayed on the phone with him until I could drive myself to our home.    I went inside, told Abby something was not right and asked her to call her Dad back while I changed into more comfortable clothes and tried to lie down.   Chris in turn called my Dad and he came over and immediately took me to the hospital.  While at the E.R. I felt worse and thought I was going to pass out and also noticed that my left leg then went tingly and numb and that I was having trouble talking.  The left side of my face was drooping.   It was at that point I looked at my Dad and said "Daddy I am scared I might be having a stroke" and he replied with "yes, I think so too, but I didn't want to say anything."    I was monitored and given Ativan (in case it was an anxiety attack), taken for a CT scan and had an EKG - all results were normal, but still things were not right.  I was admitted to the hospital for monitoring overnight and then released the next day on a regimen of aspirin until I can get into a local cardiologist.  It was decided that I had suffered a TIA - even though they are fairly rare at my age and I don't have many of the factors that would predispose me to such an event.   A TIA is sort of a "warning stroke" - many people call them "mini-strokes".   They manifest all symptoms of a stroke, but do not cause any actual tissue damage in the brain - which is a very good thing.  Bad thing is that most people who suffer one, have a very high risk of suffering an actual stroke within the next year - sometimes within the next week.  

Now on a positive note - God has been so faithful to show me many things this past weekend as I have had the time to quietly listen and seek His voice.   I knew I needed to slow down.  Actually I had already withdrawn from most of my volunteer work at church and was looking at ways to minimize my work a little in order to lessen my stress.  With a husband who travels and 3 kids, it is very hard to hold down 2 jobs and manage the children's coming and goings to school and sport activities.   For those of you who know me well, you have probably heard me say over the past 6 months that I have been trying to discern God's will for me right now and where he wants me in ministry.  You have also heard me say many times "I wish he would write in on a big white board in the sky for me so I didn't have to try and figure it out on my own"!   HA!  It occurred to me as I was sitting with a dear friend on my porch yesterday morning, that he did just what I asked Him to do - only He wrote it on the white board and then whacked me over the head with it!  I love it! It made me laugh out loud.  You see, I am a fairly strong willed person and although I had been trying to lower my activity level and slow down in order to figure out where God needs me to serve him, I was only slowing down "just enough" to suit myself and still be able to do the things I wanted to do.   Well, my friends, it seems God has something entirely different in order for my life.   So, as I sit here this morning with time to blog, I ask for your prayers for my physical recovery but most importantly that I will now sit quietly and listen to what God has for me to do and obey His call WHEREVER it may be He is leading me.   He is so faithful and good to us and He knew exactly what it would take for Melissa to stop and listen.    So, I sit quietly before Him this morning and listen and wait upon Him to speak........