oldroy Loc: Western Kansas (No longer in hiding)

This man is an actor, of course, but his story done in poetry form is one to make one wonder about what people think of that night. I almost made it through before tears came but I knew who the found woman in the story was before he said it. Can you watch this video without tearing up?

http://www.youtube.com/embed/WxjZB5S_g7s?rel=0

rjoeholl

Well, damn, Roy, I couldn't make it to the end either. I find that as I enter my last years on this earth, the tears come more frequently and easily. Maybe it's a little regret for some things I've done or some I should have. Merry Christmas.

bahmer

Same here oldroy almost made it through myself. Funny how years add wisdom and tenderness isn't it. Probably twenty years ago I would have laughed at my wife as she cried watching this and now all alone it hits like a ten pound sledge and the tears well up inside of me but there is now no one to laugh at me.

bdamage Loc: My Bunker

Couldn't do it either Roy.
Thanks for sharing and a very Merry Chrismas to you and yours.

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

I know you did a disclaimer at the beginning, but dagnabit, now I have to go out in public looking like I lost my best friend!! Thanks for sharing and oh, I intend to share it also!! Merry Christmas.

oldroy Loc: Western Kansas (No longer in hiding)

I have wondered, for some time, just what has made me so easy to tear up. I have really been bad since those surgeons kept me around 9 years ago. I had that heart attack (I thought very minor) and they found I was from 85% to 95% in six arteries of my heart. I found while recovering from all that cutting, ripping and tearing and sewing back up that I just couldn't watch sad things on TV without crying. This story was one of the very best I have ever heard and just realizing who the patrol woman was did the trick for me.

People tell me that when one has a near death experience he tends to be softer of heart than before. I really think I passed on in the ambulance before they got me to the hospital. I wonder if this could be true.

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

You know, it's possible that you might have passed on in the ambulance. Do you remember the ride to the hospital? My aunt was in a severe car accident. They had to jump start her heart in the ambulance and then again on the table being prepped for surgery. She says she remembers floating up and hovering over the paramedics and then she said it happened a second time -- she hovered over the surgeons who were operating. She could see herself on the operating table. It's also quite possible, since they put you on a machine for the duration of your surgery, that being on the machine caused you issues as well. I read somewhere (wish I could remember where)that being put on what amounts to life support can have intense after affects. :roll: You know, while you guys sometimes get aggravated with yourselves and think it rather sissified to show your emotions, ladies find it quite the opposite. Just thought I'd point that out. I can hear you now "silver lining my ....."

oldroy Loc: Western Kansas (No longer in hiding)

The only reason I thought I may have gone on was that the EMT riding with me said the blood pressure machine got dangerously close to zero type numbers. I had been laughing and joking with her for about 1 1/2 hours and decided to take a nap. About a half hour later I became aware she and the driver were talking about where to get off to go to the hospital. The streets were being worked on around there but he knew just where to go. They say that when we arrived it was like a beehive around the door and I didn't see more than 4 nurses in the hallway. I don't really think I left but had to take the woman's word.

I have had two major fears in my life. Getting cut with a sharp blade and having my chest ripped open. As one nurse told me they took care of both things there in one day. I never thought having your chest ripped apart could not be painful but I never knew about it. That morphine is some really good stuff. About 4 days into my stay, after the ICU stay, my arthritic wrists started to hurt when they hadn't that whole time. I reasoned that two more morphine pills each day would handle that and told a nurse and she said they were trying to "wean " me off that stuff so as not to let me get addicted.

Those were some really fun days after the first day after the surgery. That darned ICU nurse, my favorite woman, next to my wife at the time, forced me to get up for a walk in the hall. She then made me sit in a recliner to watch TV and we became enemies for a while. What a fine woman that nurse was. I didn't want to leave her care the next day.

I did most of my recovering by myself. My wife was teaching and just had to go to school so I just slept and watched TV. Daily visits from a health care nurse who forced me to get up and walk and do all those exercises were very welcome even if she made me do those things. It was during that time that I found myself very unable to keep from crying about things that never would have bothered me before.

As bad off as I was God must have had something in mind for me for me to survive it all and last these last 9 years.

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

You know, God in his wisdom, just somehow doesn't always think we have "a need to know", does he. I have a favorite, one of many quotes, by a guy named Brian Andreas and it says "there are angels among us, sent specifically for the purpose of keeping us on our toes" -- guessing that nurse of yours was one of them and maybe you're another -- because you have a way of keeping people on their toes -- a blessing in and of itself!!

Maybe, all that convalescing gave you time to "just breathe" and it opened up a host of things that during your "other life" it was easier to compartmentalize and not bring them out to look at. I don't know.

I am, however, a very firm believer in the hereafter and know that I don't fear death. I must confess to you that I had, in a sense, a similar experience five years ago that I hadn't thought about for some time until you brought it up. I happened to be at the edge of the woods, other folks were around, but didn't notice that I was experiencing real difficulty in being able to breathe. Happens every once in a great while. Instead of walking towards them, I walked into the woods, thinking if only I could collect myself. Breathing was becoming an intense struggle. Now, out of sight of everyone, I stopped, trying for that next breath. Nothing, no air, second breath, nothing, third breath, I went down thinking "so, this is what it's like to die, and then just peace." I came to face down in pine needles hearing people frantically calling my name because they realized I had just disappeared and I wasn't responding to their calls.

Hey, I'm envious of you and those pain k**lers. I would make the world's worst druggy. I am allergic to them all -- no codeine, no morphine, no Demerol, no Percosette, no over the counter antihistamines, and NO valium. Yes, after exploratory abdominal surgery and I was in severe pain, they thought valium might work. Well, I hurt just as badly, just didn't quite care as much. However, off it, oh my!! I cried when I saw it was a beautiful day, I cried if I heard a bird sing. Total mess I was!! Maybe, God knew what he was doing -- because I really have no desire to see what "better living through chemistry" might do for me. :lol: :lol:

Well, better close. More Christmas baking to do. I do want to wish you a Christmas filled with light and joy. God bless.

rumitoid

You old dog. Got me good. Tears starting rolling half way through to outright blubbering at the end. Thank you for this wonderful gift on Christmas Eve, a true blessing. It's funny. As soon as I saw the guy I knew he was to the bone a truly decent man, and I was right.

oldroy Loc: Western Kansas (No longer in hiding)

Most of those old, retired patrolmen are very decent people. The story is really a good one and very possibly true. At any rate it was told very well.