Hello Loves, At rare times in our lives, we are blessed with spiritually awesome events. We have ALL had them. Aren't we blessed? Isn't it wonderful to be so spiritually attuned....so completely integrated into the "ALL THAT IS"....to a place where we originated? When this happens to me, I call it "A Time of Miracles." For the past five weeks, I have been consciously aware that miracles were occurring in our lives. It has been terrifying. It has been fulfilling. I has been a roller coaster ride emotionally and physically. It has been glorious. I want to share the whole experience with you. I say whole experience, but who knows if it is yet over? Some of this you already know, but I want to get it into words that I can read with my physical eyes. Early in March of this year, 1999, I made Fred....my husband, my lover, my mentor, my smiling Angel Love, my soulmate....go to our family doctor, George Garfein, M.D. (angel number 1), because of a chronic cough that he has had since June of last year. Fred picked it up in a convention setting in Colombus, Ohio. The cough was becoming worse. Dr. Garfein put Fred through a few lab tests to see if there was a chance that Fred had contracted "Legionaires' Disease." No, that was not a problem, but Fred's cholestrol was sky high. Right away, Fred was given a medication to help bring that cholestrol down. Then, he had to have a cardio-vascular stress test. To put it baldly, Fred flunked it. Dr.Garfein found some cardiac anomalies on the test readout. From there, it was on to a Cardiologist and another stress test, but this one included the injecting of radioactive isotopes. Another "F." Let me tell you that Fred isn't used to flunking ANYTHING! :) Now, I'm starting to get pretty worried, but Fred is saying that it's all "a tempest in a teapot." The Cardiologist decides that an Arteriogram is in order. By now, he is suspecting that Fred's arteries, in his heart, may have some blockage problems. The arteriogram is a very invasive procedure where a probe is sent from the femoral artery of the leg (in this case) all the way up to and into the heart. The results of that test were such that we knew that Fred was in BIG trouble. Of the three major arteries in his heart, two were 100% blocked and the other was 60% blocked. He was working on 15% of his heart's ability to receive and send out blood to his body. No chance of an Angioplasty working for him. Fred was told that "he was a massive heart attack looking for a place to happen." Are you remembering, as you read, that this started with a cough? Next was a visit to a heart surgeon. The surgeon said that Fred must have triple bypass surgery or end up with a massive coronary. This was to take place on Monday, March 29. Now, this is when I started to become aware that big SPIRITUAL things were beginning to happen. We received a call from the surgeon's office that he had been called out of town, so the surgery would have to be moved up to April 2. Right! Fred is considered "a heart attack looking for a place to happen" and his surgery gets put on hold. What is going on here???? It would have been an easy thing to let my panic get the best of me causing me to entertain negative thoughts. But, I didn't. Because of other experiences, I knew that there was "Angel Work" afoot. On the night before surgery, Fred was to do his own preparation. One of these tasks was to shave off all his body hair. He gets into the bathtub and procedes to use my razor (a single-edged disposable). My razors last me for years and this one was no exception. It was dull from hundreds of uses. Nothing for it but I had to run to our local convenience stop and get Fred a new razor. The only other person in the store was the checker/night manager. I ran up to the counter telling him that I needed a disposable razor. As we walked to where the razors were, I told him about Fred's situation....that he had to have heart surgery the next day, that he had to shave his body, and that he was sitting in a tub of rapidly cooling water waiting for me to get back. Did I tell you that this wonderful man has just one arm? He grabbed a package of 3 razors from the rack and then went into the back room of the store. When he came back, he was holding another razor that was brand new. He said he had brought it from home one morning, so he could shave when he got to work. He was running late. The razor had never been used, so he gave it to me to add to the other three. He said that Fred had a big job ahead of him. The second of the angels in this story. The next morning, April 2, we had to be to the hospital at 7:30 a.m. When we got there, they were waiting for us impatiently. They had tried to call us and say be there at 6:30 a.m. Since we were on our way, they didn't get through to us. We went to the area where Fred was to be prepared for surgery. The first thing we found out was that Fred was to receive another "F." He flunked shaving. Not only had he done a lousy job, he had nicks, scrapes and cuts all over him. Oh, he was a sight to behold. There was a great deal of humor associated with his surgical preparation, so that took a little of the stress we were feeling away. Humor? - In such a serious and frightening situation? The sense that this was going to be unusual was deepening. Now, there were angels making us laugh. The surgery just before Fred's took longer than was expected. There were complications, but they were successfully resolved. Finally, "the bear came through the buckwheat." It was time for Fred to go into surgery. We held each other and promised that we would see each other in a few hours. I walked next to Fred, on his guerney, for as far as they would let me go. We just kissed and said, "I'll see you soon." I went to the waiting room for friends and families of the surgical patients. There were two groups of folks already there and waiting for news of their loved ones' progress. I sat down and focused on Fred. An hour went by and the operating room called and said that they were about to administer the anesthesia. It was going to be a long wait. The drone of the soft voices of the others who were waiting, allowed me to just kind of float free in my mind and spirit. The waiting room disappeared and I found myself in an operating room, above a team of surgeons working on someone. I came down lower and saw that it was Fred on that table and they were doing something to his leg. Fred was deeply asleep and not in his body. He was doing fine, so I looked around the room. Everywhere there were angels! The operating room was FULL of angels! There were swirls of colors emanating from them. Swirls that were fully surrounding Fred. Swirls that were surrounding each member of the surgical team. Swirls that connected and encompassed every one in that room. The colors were beautiful and each one had a different vibration which produced a musical tone. The tones combined to create an angelic aire....not a symphony, but a gentle healing, loving, guiding composition. Then I was immersed in it, too. Oh, I wanted to stay and never leave that wonderul, warm, non-frightening place. That was not to be, though. I found myself back in the waiting room, but was no longer worried about the outcome of Fred's surgery. I knew he would be all right. Now, all I had to do was wait. My daughter, Vikki, brought my little grandson, Benji, so see me while I was waiting. It felt so good to hold him and feel his youthful love and energy. Vikki was getting close to having a baby, so it was even more precious that she and her husband, Dave, brought Benji to see me. (Angels 3, 4, and 5) Benji and I are very close and he infused me with his love for me. He is only 4 1/2 years old, but mature enough to realize that his "Papa" (Fred) was in a life-threatening situation. Benji whispered to me, "Papa be all right, Gwamma." Of course, he was right. You see, my darling little Benji still talks to his angels. Fred came through triple bypass surgery with an "A+." His recovery time in CCU, the Critical Care Unit, was uneventful and short. After just one day in CCU, he was moved to a regular private room. On Monday evening, April 5 - just 3 days after surgery - he was released to come home. Next came the beginning of cardiac rehabilitation. Twice a week, Fred had to go for special exercises and LOTS of training about proper nutrition. He had to continue with the medications that the doctors had prescribed for him. Toprol (a Beta Blocker) and Lipitor (to reduce cholestrol). Fred went to his rehab sessions. The rehab folks are a WONDERFUL group of nurses who really CARE. AngelWorkers every one! One in particular I still keep in touch with through e-mail. One of the after effects of the surgery was a light- headedness and some bit of trouble with his vision. He could see clearly....two images. Needless to say, Fred couldn't drive so I became his chauffeur. I know it made Fred nervous to ride with me. :) It's hard to be a passenger when one is used to being the driver. Fred came home on April 5 and on April 11, my new grandson, Michael Alexander was born. As Michael came into this world, he came in on a huge wave of birthwaters which "baptized" the nurse, his Daddy and me. He was as bright and alert as any baby I have ever seen. I was the first to hold him and welcome him. I am so blessed. It was a week before Fred was able to meet his new grandson. Fred was making some progress in recovering from the surgery, but it was stalling, starting, stopping....two steps forward, one step back....fits and starts. He pretty much was rid of the double vision, but was still experiencing light-headedness and some dizziness. He was bored and critical of his "slow healing." It DID seem that his progress was irregular and not going as it should. On Thursday morning, May 6, Fred and I were out on the patio collapsing some empty cardboard boxes....not a strenuous activity. I came into the house to refill my coffee mug and went right back out to the patio. There was Fred in a crumpled heap. He had become dizzy and fainted. He hit his head slightly on the bar-b-q and scraped his elbows. He got his bearings and got up. I helped him to a lounge chair. He sat down and immediately became dizzy, again, but this time didn't faint. His hands began to shake, then began to spasm like a small seizure. After a couple of episodes of this, we knew that he had big problems. I went flying to my sister, Susan, and woke her up out of a sound sleep. We needed to get Fred to the car, since he wouldn't let me call 911. After getting Fred settled in the car, I ran into the house to call Dr. Garfein and told him we were on our way. He met us in the parking lot with a wheel chair. He examined Fred right there in the car, then we took Fred to an examination room. We had no sooner gotten settled in when Fred went into another seizure. It threw him out of the wheel chair. After that, it was one seizure after another and an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital emergency room. We went to the same hospital where Fred had had his triple bypass surgery, Providence Medical Center. They could not get Fred's heart to stabilize. His heart would stop, he would faint and then go into these awful seizures. He would regain consciousness quickly, then start another cycle. Fred was having a major drug reaction to the Toprol and he would die if they couldn't get him stabilized. They prepared him for an external pacemaker to jump-start his heart, but they wouldn't need it. A Cardiologist, Dr. Foley (angel number 6), came into the room and assessed the situation. He immediately had them administer a drug (can't remember the name) that would be an antidote to the Toprol. As the drug began to work, the seizures lessened enough for Fred to be able to jump-start his own heart by coughing sharply. Soon the seizures lessened and finally stopped, but his heart was still erratic and unstable. They took him to CCU. It looked like he had every machine in the world hooked up to him. They put an oxygen hose into Fred's nose, he had little EKG pads stuck all over his chest, and he had I.V. tubes in his veins. The machine that monitored his heartbeat kept bleating and Fred was critical. I stayed with him until he was fairly stable....not out of the woods, but better. I went home and called some family members. My son, Randy, drove me back to the hospital a little later. We found that Fred was better than when I'd left him, but his heart was still somewhat erratic and now yet stabilized. He was still being fed the antidote intravenously. At 7:30 p.m. Randy took me home. I had told Fred that I would check with CCU just before I went to bed. His condition was the same. I fell into bed and slept fitfully. Yesterday, I called the hospital as soon as I could in the morning and learned that Fred's heart had stabilized during the night. He would probably be able to be moved to a private room later in the day. The doctor didn't come in to see Fred until around 5 p.m. It was at 6 p.m. that history was made at Providence Medical Center. Fred was released from CCU to go home. As far as they know, no one has ever been gone directly home from CCU. Fred was not only completely stabilized, but was recovering at an astounding rate. Fred's sister and her husband were here from the Seattle area and we went together to pick him up. Neither of us could believe that he could recover so quickly and so fully from the horror of the day before. Last night, he slept really well for the first time in a long time. Today, he woke up feeling rather weak and wrung out, but ok. As the day went on, he looked and felt better than he has in years. I know that from now on it will be upward and onward....no matter what the future holds. It has truly been "A Time of Miracles" for us. We've had angels with us every step of the way. In a world of turmoil with war, children killing children, political upheaval and killer winds, there is new life. Your prayers and healing thoughts and love carried the day. Just think....if we all send these wonderful energies to Mother Earth and all the life she supports and nurtures, we can Heal the World! There is truly the promise of a bright tomorrow. Miracles happen. Angels are real. God is in his Heaven and all will be right with the world. This I know.
Caro's ANGEL CORNER
Cloud Dreamer's Vision Quest
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