Labor of Gratitude

I looked at my cell phone; it was 12:01 am Monday August 03. I had put my head on the pillow and tried to fold my hands in prayer but they wouldn’t go together. I laid in bed as I continued to experience the strangeness and questions why my hands couldn’t grasp each other and why my day wouldn’t end? As I starred into the darkened room, and noticed the moon light through the window, my mind began to reflect on the last few days. I recalled getting a text at work, about 6 hrs into my shift at Premier Bankcard. It was Clark telling me they were putting him in the hospital in case they needed to do a liver transplant. My eyes got big, I put my phone a little closer to see well. I looked at the text again and it was really true, Clark had sent me message beyond belief. I trembled and slowly walked into the office of my supervisor to tell her what I had just learned. Lovingly she told me to leave and go do what I needed to do, that she would see to it that I could be away from work to travel to Utah. I hustled home, did as much as I thought I could to prepare for the time I’d be gone, and at 8:30 that night, headed west to Utah. As night fell on our travel, my thoughts didn’t want to admit the reason I was in the car and heading to Utah to be with Clark. This just couldn’t be true!

The past few days had been hard riding on this roller coaster. As I continued to be restless in bed, the tears soon began to moisten my pillow. My breathing became heavy, and I knew then why my hands wouldn’t fold in prayer. I still had work to do. I recognized I had given Clark life. I carried him in my womb and I labored to bring him into this world, but my laboring wasn’t over. This time my labor and contractions had to come from my heart. I knew Clark had to be given life once more and I couldn’t be the one to do it. My heart physically became heavy and it wept. I took time to clearly define these pains. My eyes continued to weep, my lips quivered, and I cried out loud in pain. I knew that anytime my cell phone could ring with the news that a liver had been donated for Clark, and that a life was lost so that Clark could live. How grateful I am!

After some time in this darkness and after realizing how quickly our lives can change or be taken, I reminded myself to live each day as if it was my last. And that the next night my head goes on the pillow, to be sure I have no regrets for my day’s actions. Peace soon contented me and I was finally able to fold my hands in prayer, but this time on my knees.

I would ask each one of you, to take a minute to look at your driver’s license and be sure that you have checked the box listing you as an organ donor. Thank You…