Well, Am I Going To Live?

By Kay Heitsch

Yesterday, the day before my 75th birthday, I had my treadmill stress test and ultrasound.

Everything was going well. So, after it was over, I jokingly asked one of the girls, "Well, am I going to live?" In a solemn voice, the girl responded, "It's not up to me."

Her response made me smile! We can do our best to stay healthy, but it's not up to someone or ourselves to know how long we'll live.

Our Bible verse says. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16 NLT

Our days were recorded in God's book before we were born. Only God knows how long we will live.

How Do You Identify Yourself?

By Kay Heitsch

Yesterday, I received a text message asking me to answer a few questions before I took my treadmill stress test in the morning.

I found it interesting that I was asked what my pronouns were and also if I identified as a lesbian or heterosexual. What this had to do with a treadmill stress test is beyond me.

Much to my delight, I heard a Christian message this morning asking, "How do you identify yourself? The answer was plain and simple. As Christians, we identify ourselves as children of God.

Our Bible verse says. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 NLT

When we believe and accept what Jesus did for us, we have the right to identify as children of God.

I identify as a child of God!

Shared Grief

By Kay Heitsch

Last week, I watched the hockey game between the Blue Jackets and the Red Wings.

During the game, Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of a Blue Jackets player, was interviewed. Sadly, her husband, Johnny Gaudreau, died in a car accident in 2024. What caught my attention was that the interviewers thanked Meredith for allowing them to share her grief.

I had never thought of allowing other people to share my grief. I well remember doing everything I could to control my emotions when Todd died. I cried alone in the bathtub or sobbed in the yard after a run. I wanted to be strong for my kids.

I was asked to speak at several churches and other organizations and did everything I could to keep it together. I started to cry one day and told the person who had asked me to talk I was sorry. He said, "Kay, when you cried, it gave other people permission to cry, too." The people listening were trying to hold it together for you.

So, I learned something from watching a hockey game I hadn't known in 30 years. Now, the time may be right for me to share a few more things I've learned about grief and its effects on your life.