Tag: Healing

Broken Heart, Challenges, GoFundMe, Grief, Healing, Hope, Kathleen D. Hamilton, Light, Medical, Service, Trials

Caution: Don’t Overlook Miracles

KDH&BJH

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Many people have asked the question about how Kris found out about the tumor that planted itself deep inside her head and continued to grow without her knowledge for many years. So today I decided to share the story because it’s impact can teach many people about recognizing miracles or putting your faith and hope in God’s hands when you become afraid or when you want answers and can’t seem to find them.

Kris had many challenges in her life, first as a child, then as a young single mother, working hard to raise her three boys. One of the beautiful things about Kris is her ability to make others laugh with her jovial sense of humor, and her compassion for others.

She believed she had found love, and a life that brought her peace and security. She worked hard to get there, and it was fast becoming evident when she and her husband were able to open their own business, a restaurant in eastern Oregon, and she went in and added her creative touches to the place , so much so that when  customers walked through the door, they could feel her warmth and see her passion in the décor and food.

Preparing for her first Mother’s Day as a new owner last year, she decided to give her patron’s a beautiful Mother’s Day brunch.  I was going to help her, since I had owned a restaurant before and had done some catering, so we met the week before for breakfast at a restaurant in town to go over the final menu and plan out the shopping list.

First miracle: I usually sat next to her, so we could go over our list together but for some reason, I took the seat across the table.  I can’t explain why I did, only that I did. I sat there for a minute and looked into her eyes. Now, I knew she was tired, and she also shared with me that she was suffering from allergies that the sage brush was stirring up over there. But, when I noticed that her left eye was drooping, I became concerned.  I was no stranger to brain injury symptoms since I had experienced them with my other children, so I called her attention to the droopy eye, and said I was afraid she might have had a stroke.

She was young, so she wasn’t too concerned, and blamed in on her allergies.  However, I did ask her to so see a doctor.  “When I have time,” was her reply. I was concerned she would go back to work, get too involved and that time would never come.

A week later on the eve of Mother’s Day, she called me early in the morning and was crying in pain and asked if I could come and take her to the emergency room. Second Miracle:  Apparently she had been walking out of the restaurant and without warning she fell; she was sure she had broken a rib.

I remember driving over there thinking that this would also be a good opportunity to have a doctor look at her head.  I was still worried about the droopy eye. Third Miracle: That little voice in me kept nagging to make sure we didn’t leave without checking it out.

The doctor confirmed she had broken a rib, but there wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it and she would just have to take it easy. Kris looked at me in panic and asked how she was supposed to do that with the Mother’s Day brunch only hours away.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll handle it,” then I turned to the doctor and said I wanted a CT scan of her head.

“We don’t just do CT scans, unless we have a reason,” was her quick reply.

I knew we had a reason, a droopy eye and falling for no reason and I didn’t hesitate to tell the doctor.  That small voice kept whispering, “don’t leave here without one.”

The CT scan was done, and the doctor came back into the room, scooted her chair next to Kris and stated, “We have bigger problems that your broken ribs! My dear you have a very large tumor inside your head, and it is not in a good place.”

Kris and I cried together and then we started to grasp the magnitude of how that news was going to change her life.  Soon after, the hospital arranged for her to be taken over to OHSU for more tests and a plan to deal with the devastating news.  Her husband came over to accompany her to the hospital and together they started to plan their strategy. Everyone, her children, her husband , her family and many friends were devastated with the news.  We offered many prayers on her behalf.

I soon began to realize that God had intervened on her behalf, because her tumor was so close to cutting off the main blood supply to her brain, that before long, she would not have just fallen and broke a rib, she would have fallen and died, and no one until an autopsy was performed would have had a clue.

“If God knocked you off your feet to get your attention,” I told her, “then it is my guess, He still wants you to live.”  I knew fighting the battle would not be easy, but I also knew that her life was not supposed to be over. I believe in miracles, and I believe God talks to us. But then again, I do believe in God.  I also know that many times, before we know that for sure, we find ourselves on our knees.

Kris’s journey is far from over, she has had her first surgery, and must undergo more treatments and therapy, but she is alive and she hasn’t lost that inner light that many have learned to love about her.

More challenges have hit her, and she is learning the difficult lessons of reaching out, but I am sure in that area, she will also learn the valuable things we are taught when we let others in.

You can read more about her story by scrolling down to Kristy’s Journey, and also checking out her GoFundMe page at: http://www.gofundme.com/warriorsforkris

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Broken Heart, Challenges, GoFundMe, Grief, Healing, Hope, Kathleen D. Hamilton, Light, Medical, Service, Trials

Caution: Don’t Overlook Miracles

KDH&BJH

IMG_2522

Many people have asked the question about how Kris found out about the tumor that planted itself deep inside her head and continued to grow without her knowledge for many years. So today I decided to share the story because it’s impact can teach many people about recognizing miracles or putting your faith and hope in God’s hands when you become afraid or when you want answers and can’t seem to find them.

Kris had many challenges in her life, first as a child, then as a young single mother, working hard to raise her three boys. One of the beautiful things about Kris is her ability to make others laugh with her jovial sense of humor, and her compassion for others.

She believed she had found love, and a life that brought her peace and security. She worked hard to get there, and it was fast becoming evident when she and her husband were able to open their own business, a restaurant in eastern Oregon, and she went in and added her creative touches to the place , so much so that when  customers walked through the door, they could feel her warmth and see her passion in the décor and food.

Preparing for her first Mother’s Day as a new owner last year, she decided to give her patron’s a beautiful Mother’s Day brunch.  I was going to help her, since I had owned a restaurant before and had done some catering, so we met the week before for breakfast at a restaurant in town to go over the final menu and plan out the shopping list.

First miracle: I usually sat next to her, so we could go over our list together but for some reason, I took the seat across the table.  I can’t explain why I did, only that I did. I sat there for a minute and looked into her eyes. Now, I knew she was tired, and she also shared with me that she was suffering from allergies that the sage brush was stirring up over there. But, when I noticed that her left eye was drooping, I became concerned.  I was no stranger to brain injury symptoms since I had experienced them with my other children, so I called her attention to the droopy eye, and said I was afraid she might have had a stroke.

She was young, so she wasn’t too concerned, and blamed in on her allergies.  However, I did ask her to so see a doctor.  “When I have time,” was her reply. I was concerned she would go back to work, get too involved and that time would never come.

A week later on the eve of Mother’s Day, she called me early in the morning and was crying in pain and asked if I could come and take her to the emergency room. Second Miracle:  Apparently she had been walking out of the restaurant and without warning she fell; she was sure she had broken a rib.

I remember driving over there thinking that this would also be a good opportunity to have a doctor look at her head.  I was still worried about the droopy eye. Third Miracle: That little voice in me kept nagging to make sure we didn’t leave without checking it out.

The doctor confirmed she had broken a rib, but there wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it and she would just have to take it easy. Kris looked at me in panic and asked how she was supposed to do that with the Mother’s Day brunch only hours away.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll handle it,” then I turned to the doctor and said I wanted a CT scan of her head.

“We don’t just do CT scans, unless we have a reason,” was her quick reply.

I knew we had a reason, a droopy eye and falling for no reason and I didn’t hesitate to tell the doctor.  That small voice kept whispering, “don’t leave here without one.”

The CT scan was done, and the doctor came back into the room, scooted her chair next to Kris and stated, “We have bigger problems that your broken ribs! My dear you have a very large tumor inside your head, and it is not in a good place.”

Kris and I cried together and then we started to grasp the magnitude of how that news was going to change her life.  Soon after, the hospital arranged for her to be taken over to OHSU for more tests and a plan to deal with the devastating news.  Her husband came over to accompany her to the hospital and together they started to plan their strategy. Everyone, her children, her husband , her family and many friends were devastated with the news.  We offered many prayers on her behalf.

I soon began to realize that God had intervened on her behalf, because her tumor was so close to cutting off the main blood supply to her brain, that before long, she would not have just fallen and broke a rib, she would have fallen and died, and no one until an autopsy was performed would have had a clue.

“If God knocked you off your feet to get your attention,” I told her, “then it is my guess, He still wants you to live.”  I knew fighting the battle would not be easy, but I also knew that her life was not supposed to be over. I believe in miracles, and I believe God talks to us. But then again, I do believe in God.  I also know that many times, before we know that for sure, we find ourselves on our knees.

Kris’s journey is far from over, she has had her first surgery, and must undergo more treatments and therapy, but she is alive and she hasn’t lost that inner light that many have learned to love about her.

More challenges have hit her, and she is learning the difficult lessons of reaching out, but I am sure in that area, she will also learn the valuable things we are taught when we let others in.

You can read more about her story by scrolling down to Kristy’s Journey, and also checking out her GoFundMe page at: http://www.gofundme.com/warriorsforkris

IMG_2523

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broken Heart, Challenges, Grief, Healing, Kathleen D. Hamilton, Light, Mountains, Trials

Mountains and Valleys

KDH&BJH

 

While sitting on top of the mountain made of granite and rock , I questioned why it hadn’t sunk into the soft earth that held it in place below me. Could it be that things are not as they seem?

How could the weakness of the soft rain drenched ground hold up such a heavy stone? I looked around and observed the heavens , then questioned  how a large man made piece of metal , like an airplane, managed to stay in the air, or how a vessel that weighs tons can stay afloat on the glassy waters of the sea. How is it that things that appear so light can hold up things that appear so powerful and heavy?

I was stuck on the rock, but why was I so willing to remain there when its sharpness sent jolts of pain through me every time I moved or changed positions. I was physically capable of lowering myself to the forgiving softness of the ground, but why didn’t I?

I used to lie on the soft earth and walk in gentle meadows under the warmth of  sunlight, breathing in the scent of sweet air after a gentle rain , yet not pause to allow its beauty to tug at my heart. It wasn’t until I was on that mountain of a rock that those days seemed so close, yet so far away. So again, I asked myself,  if life placed me there, was it my fate or obligation  to remain?

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A journey of self-discovery usually begins when life gives us a mountain to climb and we are at a loss how to not only climb it, but how to get off of it when we do.  Life certainly has its fair share of rocks and mountains, and I’m sure they serve a purpose. They are  like trials and pain. It doesn’t matter how we landed there, but in realizing that wherever we happen to  land doesn’t have to be our permanent home.  Mountains show up more as teachers than eternal punishments.  Reaching the top helps us see things differently and with more clarity. Sometimes our journeys land us in difficult places just long enough to see the things we so often take for granted. There is nothing like a view from a mountain top when we want to witness God’s beautiful creations.

We might mistake our reliance on God and spirituality as a weakness or an excuse for dealing with the honest brutal truth of trials and hardships, but the truth is,  God is the strength that can hold us up no matter where we land. The soft whispers of the spirit, the gentle stream of light that flows into our being is much like the soft moist earth that can hold up a mountain. Things aren’t always as they seem, and strength doesn’t always come from the earthly beliefs that we have come to rely on.

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It isn’t the mountain that is painful as much as the belief that you can’t move off it. There are times a mountain can provide a shelter from the storm, or be a foundation for a lighthouse on the shore.  We all need lighthouses! The skies aren’t always blue over our lives, and storms come and go, but like the light from a lighthouse that shines out into the dark stormy night, survival can come by following it to safety. If you must cling to a rock for a while until the storm passes, it’s good to know you can eventually climb down to once again feel the soft gentle grass under your feet. You can know that as sure as you progress on your journey, the pain of the rock can just as quickly change your terrain from the dark abyss of pain and suffering to the beautiful meadows of peace again, remember though that just as the sun covers you in the warmth of its glow, rains must come to water the meadows.

 

 

Our landscapes may change, and storms will still rage, but flowers still bloom and we still grow. We can survive the winters if we learn to take shelter in each other’s arms and allow the gentle embrace of God to cradle us in his care.

Helen Keller wrote: “What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes part of us.”   Finding our way home through grief and trials usually teaches us that those meadows we long for and those warm rays of sun are not forever lost to us, sometimes we just need to become more aware of them and reach out to grasp onto them.  Antoine de Saint Exuperty who wrote the book The Little Prince wrote: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. That which is essential is invisible to the eye.”

That which is essential is the soft ground that holds the rock, the soft clouds that supports the airplane, and the gentle waters that holds up the ship. That which is essential to healing is God.