I looked up at the blinding, bright lights in the ER and wondered, Is this the light that everyone sees when their life is ending? Oh no! That's ridiculous. People are supposed to die in a peaceful, soft light. I'll be in and out of here soon." We had been celebrating Christmas Eve when I suddenly became very ill, with a raging fever of 104 degrees. It made me delirious, and I was rushed to our local ER. Many things were happening. I was being poked and prodded from stem to stern. Had I been another day late, I wouldn't be writing this. The diagnosis: UTI with sepsis, which can be fatal.

Well, I didn't make it home. I fretted over spoiling everyone's evening. Things got worse after that, and my journey was about to begin. I had a rare, possibly fatal, rapidly growing lymphoma in my bone marrow and central nervous system. A swollen nerve in my brain added to the drama. If you've taken chemo, you know the drill. My experiences were frightening, but I cleared all the hurdles to win my race.

My purpose in sharing is to let you know that there is hope, joy, happiness, and faith in God to cling to when clearing the hurdles of near-death. Death didn't happen for me because I had too many things to accomplish, so I prayed for strength to overcome and defeat my Goliath. My eighty-eight years on this planet have taught me how to accept and deal with all the impossible things, conquer them, and emerge the victor. Bless you as you laugh, cry, be astonished, and be in wonderment at all the situations you have encountered. Life is a blast if you don't sink your ship! Adjust the sails, go with the wind!