I live in a condominium in the Southwest Chicagoland suburbs, on the 2nd floor, six units to a floor, with a large common space that gets swept each Friday by Jerry, our maintenance man. When I first moved in here, a year ago, I had a couple go-rounds with Jerry, trying to copy a key that would fit our storage area; which consists of four small closets and a small common area, behind a locked door. The guy I'm leasing the unit from didn't have a key to that door and neither did the office for the entire complex, so I was looking to Jerry to help me out. But Jerry's key didn't seem to work very well, and my front door key didn't work at all, which was strange because everyone else used their front door keys to access storage. Finally, a nice old lady named Marcy, who lives on our floor but has a different storage area, learned of my month long struggle to make a key that works (six tries, six failures) and offered me a key to copy that she said she had let Jerry copy before, but Jerry is real old and a little forgetful.... that key solved my dilemma.

Fast forward a year to a Monday night; 12 days ago. I'm at O'Hare airport waiting an excruciating 45 minutes for my party to get their luggage. Something is wrong. Finally my boss rings me and I answer with the usual anticipation, "Is he ready?" ... but instead I get a strange response, "break off, your wife was taken in an ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital, your kid is with your neighbor, here's her number..." Jesus, I didn't even know if she was alive. I called the number he gave me, "Hello" ... "Hi, who is this?" ... "Is this Damian? It's me, Marcy" ... "Is Daniel with you, Marcy?" ... "Yes, he's fine, Audrey came over here and said she thinks she is in trouble, her right side was in pain and she was short of breath, I asked her if she wanted me to call 911, and she said yes, so I did and the paramedics came and took her to Good Samaritan Hospital, I think it was a gall bladder attack" ... "Can i speak with Daniel?" ... and I told him I would come right home after I saw Mommy at the hospital; I found out later that Audrey walked down the 15 steps to greet them on the first floor; the mild heart attacks continued until the next day when they used the stethoscope to open the blocked artery during the angiogram.

This morning my wife tells me that Marcy worked for ten years on a cardiac care floor. Whoa, thank you, Jesus. Then she tells me a little conversation the two of them had with Jerry, yesterday. It seems Jerry had a heart attack also, a big one, and he died, was pronounced dead, and Jerry was floating above the table looking down on the doctor pumping on his heart and could even read the instruments that showed no heart movement. My wife then brightens up and chirps, "and he saw the light" (knowing that I've seen that light) Marcy and my wife are born again Christians, but Jerry is just your basic catholic guy, he says plainly, "I don't know why God has kept me alive this long." And Marcy replies, " I think so that you could tell us this story"... Marcy and my wife are big on giving testimony; Jerry would never had coughed up his story without the news of Audrey's heart attack.

That's all I got - I wanted to ask what happened after he was up there floating; but this was just my wife talking to me about yesterday; next Friday I hope to learn more from Jerry. I've heard more amazing testimony than this; but I don't post amazing stuff on the fray; this seemed mild enough for the skeptics that inhabit this board.

I'm glad your story has what sounds like a happy ending.

May your wife and handy man have full and speedy recoveries.

And, yes, I know about the light. :)

I drove all night through four mammoth winter storms this winter, but nothing was tougher than that drive from the airport over to the hospital, I called my stepson and told him Daniel was fine... but I'm a mess. He told me to stay calm and just drive normal to the hospital; he really helped me; until you know what is happening the fears that accompany not knowing are the hardest part. This was just a mild heart attack, but I didn't know what it was for the first 24 hours; I must have cried a river. This experience was likely harder on me than it was on her.

I guess Jerry had triple by-pass surgery seven years ago and he's still going strong, he looks to be 80 years old. I don't know his full story, I hardly know much more than what I've typed here, I was floored when my wife told me that one. The most amazing stuff goes on everyday all around us, I see God at work a gazillion ways every day. I spend a little time here and there, resting and meditating on all the different things that have happened or just meditating and watching the world around me, if you simply watch an old person making their way up the street, you will see a million reflections of who that person is.

selah

Days:

Give her my best.

Take care of her and let the after life be just that. Live for the present, you just had a "pass" on life this time.

you could imagine me not wanting to have to raise this ten year old on my own... especially since Audrey and Daniel are still joined at the hip; on the way to the hospital I just kept praying, "don't do this", "don't do this". Talk about scary.

these things........ you just never know.

Everything I type sounds so trites. So I'll go with hokey/mushy.

Hugs for you all.

love,

cat

a big hug and smile back at ya... hokey/mushy works for this family. Although, I've never found your words to be "trite".... just the opposite, you always write with such passion ... you know, except when your being trite. ;)

we love you soooooooooooooooooo much, cat!

~Days

I often think about the nice conversation Audrey and I had at Doodah's barbecue. Please tell her I'm praying for all of you.

Marian (MT)

it really took me by surprise, there's no family history and Audrey is in good overall health, she's a strong woman.

I remember in Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh) people would tell me, "your wife is good looking" (because I didn't seem to recognize that) but I would respond that when you live with someone, you don't see them outwardly, you see their heart, you live with their heart. I didn't marry her for her looks, I married her because she has a heart of gold.

I'll be sure to tell her to read your reply, hope everything is good with you, it sure would be nice if we all could meet up again this summer. Audrey had never posted on the fray before our first meeting, but she is a frayster now, she's posts on blue moons and whenever the passion strikes her.

so nice to hear from you!

~Days