The Blessing of Scallops!

It was a beautiful, sunny day.   July 29th, 2002.  Jeff and I had planned to go scalloping with friends from the church.   Neither of us had ever been, but we loved snorkeling and this sounded like loads of fun.   Off to the store I went in search of snacks and drinks for the boat.   Somewhere around the soda aisle of Winn Dixie, I felt a strange tickle in my throat.  I coughed in an effort to relieve the tickle but it only made it worse, one cough leading to another, and another, and another.   Hurriedly, I grabbed the closest case of soda I could find and headed out of the store.   Surely I must be allergic to something in the store.

By the time I reached the cashier, my lips were blue and people were looking at me like something was really wrong.   What was wrong with these people?   Hadn't they ever seen someone have a coughing fit before?   The cashier then said, "Ma'am, can I help you, do I need to call 911?"  Seriously!   It's just a tickle...I thought!

I hurried out of the store and headed to my home, just 2 miles down the road.   Praying, I asked God to stop the coughing...but it grew more violent by the moment.  About half way home, my prayer changed, asking God to just let me make it to the house before I died.   I could feel myself slipping...getting very dizzy and weak.

I pulled into the driveway haphazardly and stumbled from the car to the house.   As I opened the door, Jeff took one look at me and was instantly on his feet, catching me just as my legs gave way...but the violent coughing continued.  I was dying...I knew I was.  

Moments later paramedics arrived and started giving me care to open my airway.   I was loaded in an ambulance and spent the next several days in an ICU unit.   I was diagnosed with asthma and my doctors then explained to me how close I actually came to dying.  

So much for scalloping.   There would be no trip in my foreseeable future.  Our friends who were going to take us realized what the outcome would have been had the attack come just a couple hours later.  There was no way they would be taking me on a boat.  I didn't blame them.   Nope, it was not going to happen.

That was fourteen years ago.

For fourteen years I have not done the things I wanted to do because I have asthma.   Ir has robbed me of precious moments that I longed to spend with family and friends.

I'm happy to report that THAT has changed!   No more bondage to asthma.   Do I still have it?  Yes, and unless God divinely heals me, I will have it for the rest of my life.   But I don't have to let it control me.

God has blessed me with increasingly better health.   Last year, I mowed my grass for the first time in years...this year, I mow it once a week!   (Not sure about that part of the blessing!)   I can be outside in the heat of the day and do just fine!  But the icing on the cake came for me yesterday when I finally got to go on that scalloping trip.   Fourteen years later, but I went!   I swam the whole time and even dove for a few scallops...although, I learned I like bagging them and my husband is much faster than I am.   I will proudly wear the title, "Bag Lady"!   Each time I pulled one of those scallops from Mike's hand, it was like I was taking back what the devil stole from me, and just being able to snorkel and see all the sealife was amazing in itself.  

I know that for most people it would just be a scalloping trip...no big deal.   But for me, for me it was a victory.   Piece by piece, God is restoring my life.   He has blessed me beyond anything I could've dreamed of.    Far beyond anything I deserve.   Have I suffered loss?   You bet I have!   But God has comforted me and restored my life.    I will praise Him!  

Thank you, Lord, for scallops...and grass that grows too fast.   Thank you for restoring my health and my life.    I will not take it for granted and I will give You praise for every blessing.