THE BEND IN THE ROAD

THE BEND IN THE ROAD

Several years ago my wife and I were on a bus tour of the Canadian Rockies. Our tour took us into Canada in the high mountains of British Columbia and Alberta to view the countries majestic beauty. Our bus was driving up a steep grade, high into the mountains, when some of us smelled something burning coming from the bus; we told the driver there was a problem. He immediately stopped the bus and got out to see what was wrong, and found a flat rear tire had started to burn from dragging on the road. The bus was parked on the side of the road on a dangerous sharp bend; the driver got back into the bus and needed to drive around the bend and pull off the road to call for assistance. We were in a desolate place, with no one to help us. What would we do?

The bus rounded the bend, and to our disbelieve a service station emerged—not more than 100 yards ahead. Our bus pulled into this oasis which not only sold gasoline, but to our astonishment also had a mechanic on duty. The bend in the road had obstructed our view—from being stranded, to being rescued—and had been an obstacle separating the two. Fate: being in the right place at the right time.

Again, the bend in the road awaited me. On July 25th 2008, I was at home with my arm in a sling recovering from shoulder replacement surgery which I had had seven days earlier.

I suddenly awoke from sleep at 2:00 a.m. with tightness across my chest. I sat up in bed unable to sleep, waiting for morning. There had been no improvement by mid-morning so my wife took me to my doctor’s office to see what was wrong. They took an EKG which revealed I had a blockage in my heart and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance for an angiogram. When I arrived at the emergency entrance I had a heart attack and went into full cardiac arrest. My heart stopped beating: I was at the bend of the road of life and death. ( There was blackness, then a shadow moved over me. I seemed to be in great pain; there were purple crosses on my eyes.) Was I here to die, unable to round the bend, to life?

They had to use defibrillator paddles to revive me. ( There was whiteness with child-like angels with golden wings circling over me. ) Fate, of being in the right place, at the right time: if I had waited any longer and was elsewhere, most likely this would have been fatal. Time was of the essence: I was at my doctor’s office at 11:00 a.m., and my heart stopped shortly thereafter. And yet, again, I was about to be at another bend of the road.

After my heart attack, and being pulled from death’s door, I was moved into ICU to be stabilized. Three days later I had open heart surgery, resulting in a triple bypass; after surgery complications set in. My left lung collapsed and my right lung filled with 800 cc of fluid and had to be drained. I remained in the hospital for ten days then was taken to a rehab center for another ten days before I was released to convalesce at home. Throughout this entire crisis, the internal message I received, was: “Be not afraid; I am with you always.”

It should be noted here, that thirty-three days before my heart surgery, I attended a special Mass and received The Anointing Of The Sick.

How is it that this unseen bend in the road had awaited my fate? I was very active doing everything right pertaining to my diet and health: a non-smoker, no alcohol nor salt, cholesterol under control and walked regularly. It was because of family history—I was a clock winding down. Today I have fully recovered of when grace fell upon me, carrying me around the bend of the road, into the oasis of life.

I am like a reed in the field, bended by the wind. Will I break, or bounce back to life? For it is the tallest reeds—blown by the wind—which have the shortest life span. I am controlled by the Holy One who controls the wind, and my life is in the hands of He who stands at the bend of the road, contemplating the length of my extension.

Robert J Varrick
rjvarrick@gmail.com