142 ~ Life Can Change Quickly

By Kay Heitsch

I met Ann in high school, where we attended a private boarding school. We stayed in touch over the years as I moved several times. We were both excited when I moved back to Michigan, and now we live about 15 miles apart. Ann and I started to spend time together, including walking.

Ann was very much into healthful living. She would get online and take quizzes about how long you should live according to your healthy lifestyle. Ann would want me to take these, too. After taking several, she determined we would both live to be over 100.

I smiled and would tell her, "Ann, I don't live a healthy lifestyle to live a long time. I do it to feel good each day." I'd remind her that Todd lived a healthy lifestyle and died suddenly in a car accident. I had a different perspective on life since Todd's death.

Ann had a daughter named Sara, who had special needs and lived in a group home. Every Tuesday night, Ann and I would go over to Sara's group home and lead the "kids" in dancing exercises. It was a fun time for everyone. One evening after the activities were over, I was getting into my car when Ann called out. "See Ya Next Tuesday!"

Before Tuesday arrived, I received a call from Ann. She was calling from the hospital. I was shocked! She told me that she had gone for a jog, taken a shower, and gotten into bed. The next thing she knew, she was in the hospital. Quite honestly, she said she didn't even remember how she had arrived at the hospital.

Well, when the next Tuesday came, I found myself sitting in a hospital waiting room. Ann's husband and I sat waiting for a doctor to come out and give us the results after Ann's brain surgery. When the doctor came out, the news was not good. He had to tell us Ann had a cancerous brain tumor. Ann died 6 months later.

Like Ann, we should do our best to live a healthy lifestyle, but that does not guarantee a long life. I still maintain that we should live a healthy lifestyle to feel good every day.

Life can happen quickly. You don't know what next Tuesday will bring.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

141 ~ Carolyn's Triumph Story

By Kay Heitsch

When I saw Carolyn step out of her car, I was surprised. I was thrilled to know she was well enough to come and visit.

Carolyn had been through a tough time. It all started with a bad cough she couldn't shake off. She went to the doctor, and he ran some tests. Lo and behold, the test showed there was no problem with her lungs, but a mass on Carolyn's kidney.

The doctors were very concerned about this mass and told Carolyn they wanted to do surgery right away. This was pretty scary to hear since she had not had any problems with her kidneys before.

A couple of days went by, and all of a sudden Carolyn noticed that her toes, then her foot, then her ankle, and finally her leg began to swell. She went right to the doctor.

The doctor said that they could not wait much longer. Carolyn would need the risky surgery. The doctor told Carolyn that he thought it would be best for her to have the surgery at the university hospital, a few hours away.

Carolyn's heart stopped. Her mind was racing. She had not been to that hospital since her husband had died there several years before. All kinds of unrealistic thoughts rushed into her mind.

Carolyn wasn't saying these things out loud, but she was thinking, if there is any other hospital that is closer to home, I want it done there. Carolyn didn't say a word to the doctor, as she knew this hospital he suggested was one of the best. Carolyn didn't want him to know she was having these thoughts.

Carolyn told her 5 grown children about the upcoming surgery. She didn't tell any of them that she did not want to go to the university hospital because her husband had died there. Carolyn knew she was being unreasonable, but still, she didn't want to go there.

Finally, she decided to pray about it. Carolyn told the LORD of the dread she was feeling. She asked Him if it was at all possible that she could have had the surgery at another hospital closer to home.

Carolyn didn't want to die, but if it was her time to go, she was ready.

The doctor scheduled the surgery for Friday. On Thursday, Carolyn's daughter called her. She said, "Mom, the doctor has been trying to call you. He said your surgery will be in the hospital close to home."

Carolyn couldn't believe her ears. No one knew except her and the LORD of her dread of the surgery at the other hospital.

Carolyn said she felt a flood of relief and peace go through her. The dread was gone. She still didn't know how the surgery would turn out, but she knew that the LORD had it taken care of.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

140 ~ Frustration From Being Delayed

By Kay Heitsch

While Bill was driving across the country, he would call me when he stopped. He usually didn't call me during the day, but he did this day.

Like I mentioned before, I had a friend, Vicki, who would keep me informed about the weather wherever Bill was driving. Plus, all the events she thought were happening in Afghanistan, as reported by the news. Sometimes Vicki was right, but often she wasn't.

Anyway, I was surprised to hear from Bill in the middle of the day. He had stopped to fuel up the truck, and it was taking forever. He was getting frustrated because drivers are on strict schedules to arrive at locations for drop-offs or pick-ups.

I'm not always so encouraging, but I said something like, "Just try to relax; maybe the Lord is protecting you from something up ahead."

Once Bill was able to start driving, he soon saw that a tornado had very recently gone through the area. There were trees down, and everything was a mess.

Bill knew that the Lord had protected him by causing him to be delayed at the fuel station.

I don't believe Vicki had reported about a tornado headed Bill's way, so I was happy to text her to let her know God had protected Bill.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

139 ~ Warning

By Kay Heitsch

Warning! This next story may be uncomfortable for some.

After Bill retired and the people I was helping had all died, Bill and I decided to take a road trip out West. This time, the road trip was in a car.

Bill said one reason he wanted to drive a long-haul semi-truck was that he would be paid to see the United States. Bill actually did visit all but two states.

If you have ever driven out West, the rest areas can be few and far between. That being said, whenever we saw one, I wanted to stop. After my previous road trip, I made sure to drink plenty of water this time.

It was getting almost time for us to stop for the day when we spotted a rest area out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, I wanted to stop. Bill parked a little way down because I liked to get a few steps in and stretch my legs. This time, Bill remained in the car as he wanted to book a room for us that night.

As I walked up to the bathroom, I noticed a van parked directly in front. As I walked closer, I saw a man get out of the van on the passenger's side and stand in front of it.

When I came out of the bathroom, this man started to walk slowly towards me. As he got closer, he began to talk in a hushed voice. I immediately felt something was not right! The hair on my neck rose up. I knew I'd better get away from him in a hurry.

I started to walk fast towards the car. I jumped in the car, shaking. As soon as I got in the car, this van took off like a bat out of hell.

Later, I talked to a police officer about this incident, and he explained that this is precisely how human traffickers operate.

I knew God had helped me. Normally, I would have walked up to hear what this guy was saying. If I had, I would have been in that van in a quick hurry! I broke down and cried when we were finally settled in our room that night.

When I got back to Planet Fitness, I couldn't wait to tell my friends about this scary experience and how women need to be careful. Little did I know who some of these people were.

It was only a short time later that I saw online 3 men who went to PF who had been arrested for Sex Trafficking.

I'm telling this story so people will be aware.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

138 ~ Two Good Friends

By Kay Heitsch

I kept plenty busy during the week. However, on the weekends, when Bill didn't get home, I enjoyed spending some time with my friends, Gary and Vicki.

I had known Vicki since we were 16, and we had become reacquainted when we moved back to Michigan.

Gary and Vicki lived on a lake near our home. I would hang out there a lot in the summer when Bill wasn't home. Living on the lake, they had toys for it.

I had fun on the kayak. Vicki thought it was funny that I wanted to wear a life jacket. On holidays, the lake had fireworks, so we went out on their pontoon to watch them.

Vicki and I walked a lot in the summer, and even in the winter, we walked on the frozen lake.

Unfortunately, Gary had to have a hip replacement. He had instructions on what he could or couldn't do. Those instructions fell on deaf ears, even though Vicki reminded him often.

One morning, Vicki called me in a panic. Gary's hip had come out of place. The ambulance was picking up Gary, and she wanted me to meet them at the hospital.

Gary was lying on the bed, and Vicki and I were standing on either side when the doctor walked into the room. The doctor looked at Vicki and me, then asked Gary who we were. Without blinking an eye, Gary introduced us as Vicki being his wife and me as his girlfriend. Vicki and I looked at each other, about to laugh, but didn't say a word.

Vicki and I knew what a hoot Gary was, but we were both a bit surprised when the doctor asked Gary what happened. Gary calmly said, You tell me, with these two. We were not expecting Gary to say this! The doctor didn't ask another question.

As we all know, life isn't always fun and games. We also shared the death of our sons.

It wasn't long after Vicki and Gary's son died that Vicki died too.

Enjoy the time you have with your family and friends. Life isn't always fair, but never forget God is always good.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

137 ~ My Only 18-Wheeler Road Trip

By Kay Heitsch

When Bill opened the door of the cab of the 18-wheeler, I had no idea what adventure would lie ahead of me in the next 12 days, covering 4,773 miles.

I decided to take this road trip because it was fall, and Bill would be traveling East. I knew the trees would be beautiful.

I struggled to climb into the front seat. Wow, I was sitting up a lot higher than I expected. I liked that! Bill told me there wasn't much room inside the cab, so I shouldn't bring too much stuff. I got the necessities, and of course, my knitting and Dr. Peale booklets.

I enjoyed stopping at the truck stops. I told Bill how surprised I was that all the truckers were so friendly to me. He said, "Do you know why?" I answered, "No." Bill replied, "It's the way you smile and look them in the eyes. Most people don't make any eye contact, and you do."

I found some names of towns interesting on the trip: Coolville, Ohio; Guysville, Ohio; Promise Land, PA; and last but not least, Purgatory, MA.

When we were driving through Purgatory, Bill was making some funny remarks about the town's name. All of a sudden, we saw flashing lights come up next to the truck. Oh my gosh, we were being pulled over. The police officer came up on my side of the truck. There I sat, knitting away. By the look on his face, I don't think he was expecting to see Ma and Pa Kettle.

This police officer seemed a little grumpy at first. He asked for Bill's log books but found nothing wrong. I'd just finished making a cell phone sack, so I slipped a Bible verse inside and handed it to the police officer. I told him it was for his wife, and I hoped he'd have a nice day. He gave me a big smile and thanked me.

All kinds of people make a living driving 18-wheelers for many different reasons. I was able to give some booklets and my cell phone sack with Bible verses to several people.

One night, I met a woman in the bathroom at one of the truck stops. I'm friendly, so I started talking to her. We exchanged first names. Mary shared that the reason she was riding with her husband was that her son had been killed on a motorcycle, and now she couldn't stand to be alone. I shared with her how our son, Todd, had also died suddenly in a car accident.

Mary went on to say how hard it was to talk to anyone about her son because no one understands this kind of pain. She was in awe that I had come into that bathroom, and after all these years, she had found someone she could talk to who would understand.

We hugged each other, knowing the pain we both had been through. I gave her the cell phone sack with the Bible verse inside.

Mary's husband was waiting for her, and she told him how grateful she was, after all these years, to meet me. They both agreed it was no accident; we were brought together.

This was my one and only road trip. These were some pleasant experiences. However, I developed a horrible UTI and was allergic to the antibiotic. Bill and I both decided that riding in an 18-wheeler was not for me.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

136 ~ God Knew What I Needed

By Kay Heitsch

As I look back, I can see how the Lord kept me so busy with helping others, exercising, playing games, and doing shoveling and yardwork that I hardly had time to have a pity party. God knew what I needed.

It's incredible how helping Bea, Arlene, my in-laws, and at times, Twyla helped me. Then the Lord made sure I got exercise by going to Planet Fitness, doing yardwork, and shoveling. At night, I could play Farm Town or Farmville to relax. Plus chatting with friends in text messages while watching fun shows on TV.

I won't lie, it wasn't easy mentally and emotionally having Bill driving in all kinds of weather all over the country. I had a friend call me to let me know how bad the weather was where Bill was driving.

I finally had to tell her that if I wanted to know about the weather, I would check myself. I couldn't control the weather, and stressing about it wasn't helping. I was going to trust God.

Brandon was living and working in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the time. I had to stop watching the news because Kabal was on the news every night. Being able to put my trust in God, there aren't words to even describe how comforting this was.

Knowing Noah, our only grandchild, and our children were dealing with not knowing why or what was causing all of these physical problems just might have done me in, but God...

I am so thankful that God knew what I needed at this difficult time in my life. Being able to put my complete trust in God and knowing He was in control sure helped me.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2