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It happened again today - and I am humbled yet again

moparedtn

I got your Staff Member riiiight heeeere...
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On the Ridge, TN
(Disclaimer: This is another "Ed story". It contains many necessary references to
religion and is certainly NOT any sort of braggadocios boasting...)
(....there's no Mopar references in it, either....)
(Reminder: I write this shiyat mainly for myself as sort of a journal. Reading it
isn't mandatory; you can change the channel at any time, of course).


Here we go. Background to the story:
My wife has flown home to NH for her annual visiting of family and grandkids and
the like, so I find myself alone with Sasha the wonderpooch once again.
I'll be the first to admit, she's a huge part of me and why I'm still above room
temperature, but y'all know all that already.
Suffice to say, I pretty much just go through the motions while she's gone.
Not afraid to admit that (and not the least bit concerned with anyone who thinks
that's somehow a sign of weakness).
So...

You should note here that lately, I've been having more health issues again and
this time, they're not sure what's up - despite the usual barrage of tests and such.
All anybody knows is that the system is amiss - and that whatever it is will surely
manifest itself eventually. God only knows if it'll be soon enough to deal with
medically, though.
Nothing new under the sun there - ain't my first rodeo with all that crap.
On top of all that, I'm burnt out from 40+ years in the same business and while
the current employer has been fantastic with me, truly a blessing - it just isn't
stirring the fires anymore in me.
I'm one of those types that simply has to have a cause, a reason, a drive for whatever
it is I tackle in this life. Some call it a "passion". Whatever it is, I ain't got it now...
I guess life has been so busy beating hell out of me, and me warring right back at
it every time, that maybe my tank of Ed fuel has run low, who knows.
Purpose.
Yeah, that's what it is. My sense of purpose is akimbo now, somehow.
Guess you'd call it "listless"...especially since Fred the GTX is mostly sorted to
my liking at this point and there really isn't any major repair stuff left on the property
either.
My goal was to live long enough to not leave a mess for my wife. That goal is
complete - but I had no plans beyond that, because odds were I wasn't going to
be here beyond that.

Anyways, back to what happened today:
Today, I decide it's time to get on the tractor and do my thing with the mowing of
the joint, a weekly thing that takes 3-4 hours to get the acreage all done typically.
I'd promised her not to do anything "Ed-like", so no stunt driving or such was
planned - just a light grooming of the roadsides, main field/yard, that sort of thing.
Simple, mindless work I've done hundreds of times over the decades.
Ear plugs in (the get up gets loud between the tractor and the Italian finish mower)
and shades on, off I went....

Nothing much of note usually happens, short of an odd sighting of some wild critters
or a mechanical issue - so when I came down off the ridge on the tractor, I spotted
someone at the bottom working on the rail fence of the neighbors'.
That place is rented out and the owner is a rare sighting; he and I have an amicable
relationship and have each others' numbers on speed dial, but really we don't see one
another much, so this was unusual today.
Me just sort of goofing off and mowing, not in a hurry AND the day being hot and
humid as hell, I wandered over to where he was and shut down the tractor for a chat.
Said landlord neighbor is ex-Navy and has been a major player in the power generation
field for GE for a long time now; he travels the southeast, inspecting and overseeing
power plants all over as a sort of expert on them.
Very smart fella. Very sure of himself, too. He's probably 5-6 years older than me, too.
I've never seen him in anything other than good condition and going 100 mph.

Today...I hardly recognized him.
Looking much thinner and almost deathly ill, the sight took me aback.
Pale, sweating like hell, totally shielded from the sun, unsteady on his feet - and
not nearly so gung-ho and talkative as in times past.
I wondered - what had happened since last we saw one another, back in March?
Turned out, he'd had knee replacement surgery a couple months ago and things
weren't going so swell with that, as he described all the usual physical therapy
routines one goes through after such a surgery.
He had lost 20 pounds and had fought off infection and other maladies as a result.
His whole mannerism had changed, more importantly.
He seemed downright vulnerable - something I'd never seen in him, ever.

He asks me to hold up a minute so he could fetch a water from his pickup, sitting
about 40 yards away - and as I watch, it's all he can do to get there and back to
me. It's painful to watch and for the first time, I was actually concerned.
Little did I know just how concerned I needed to be...that was to come next.
He sat down on my tractors' front wheel and we continued our chat, but he
progressively got slower and slower with his side of the conversation, all the while
chugging that bottle of water at an almost frantic pace.
Then....he stopped responding.
At all.

As he closed his eyes and started to slump over, I called his name, over and over -
then, realizing he was in serious trouble, I jumped off the tractor and grabbed him
just in time before he fell off his "seat".
I knew he was either suffering from heat stroke or some other unknown condition...
and I knew I was there without so much as a phone, a good few hundred yards
from any possible help.
He was too big a fella for me to carry anywhere - and where would I if I could?
I tried to remember any training I'd had on dealing with someone in this situation,
all the while calling his name over and over, getting cold water on the back of his
neck, on his face, whatever I could do to lower his temperature, all the whlle
struggling to hold him up.
Beyond that, I felt powerless. I prayed. HARD. I kept trying to get him to come to.
Finally, after what seemed like forever (actually probably more like 4-5 minutes),
he started coming to....slowly, bits and pieces, not knowing where he was.
When he finally whispered "Ed - what are you doing here?" I saw a bit of hope....
Several minutes more of all these efforts (futile as I thought them to be) and
finally he was back - mostly, enough to talk to me.

Sounds odd - but when he acted like he was fine and that he "had it all along",
instead of acknowledging what had actually happened....I was actually relieved.
No amount of reasoning with him got me any closer to calling the rescue squad,
so instead we got him to his truck and into some a/c - but not before he got rid
of all that water he had just drank.
He demanded to be left in there to take a quick nap and cool off and I reluctantly
agreed. He told me to go on with my work, he'd be fine.
I did as I was told - sort of.
Instead of heading off, I "found" areas right around his truck so I could watch him,
all the while with him fussing for me to stop mowing his property. :)
Eventually, he convinced me he was good to go home and rest - well, like I could
stop him anyways, right? - and I followed him all the way out to the highway, with
a final promise from him to let me know when he got home safely.

Keep in mind, he hadn't admitted what happened - nor bothered to show any
appreciation for my efforts.
I didn't care - all I knew was that he had been in serious trouble, alone - and with
him, not admitting any weakness was part of his normal behavior, so it was sort
of reassuring.
The other conclusion I came to at that point? I had been dispatched to intercede.

Now, his wife and I are on speaking terms - but just barely.
No matter, I spoke to her on the phone before he got home and let her know what
had happened and made her promise me to follow up with his medical team
on it, because things could have gotten REALLY bad there, especially if he had
been alone when it happened.
She assured me she would - and that was the extent of the call.


I also decided to take the hint and parked the tractor and got inside myself...
the air was seriously chunky today. Chewable even.

Later on, I got a call from him, telling me he was home safely and resting comfortably.
Thank God...
He also said he'd told his wife what happened and true to his word, he would follow
up with his docs on it, that today had never happened before and it had made an
impression on him.
Again....thank God...
Finally...he thanked me. Sincerely, without the usual bravado, very humbly.
Woah, wasn't expecting that part...
It was my turn to shrug it all off, saying something like "hey, maybe next time you'll
pick my dead arse up off the ground, eh?"
I never take compliments well - or gratitude. I suck at it, admittedly.
As sincerely as I've ever heard him speak, he said "I pray not - but I'll be there if
you do."
Damn...right in the feels!

Conclusion:
Yes, once again I was "sent" by Him.
Dispatched.
Whatever you want to call it, I have no doubt of it.
Now, why me? I ain't nobody, hell I don't know. I just know I was.
God knows I've been struggling to keep purpose in focus these days; he knows
the body is giving up the fight and I need reason to keep fighting that off -
and he sent a little reminder of His intentions is all.
The old me would have blown it all off, ignored the implications....
This "me", these days, not only has grown to recognize such things when it's
happening sooner, but to accept the orders when issued them, without hesitance.
I may think at the time that I'm the worst guy in the world to be dispatched...
but I don't ignore it and I do the best I can when sent.

I think that's the whole point. Isn't it?
-Ed
 
It is tough to admit you are getting old and having trouble.

Bless you for caring about your neighbor. Libs and Media are Hell bent on trying to convince us there is no "Higher Power" that rewards us for Living a Good Life.

I totally believe in Karma and building Good Energy.
 
Ed,
As I have always said, you should have been a writer. You have a way with words that few possess and can create a picture that anyone can imagine & generate emotion with such accuracy, that I seriously doubt anyone else can. I feel that you have had way too much stress and health issues yourself and yet you have not only bounced back but still manage to help others. I agree, it sounds like divine intervention that you just happened to be there. I hope that someone is able to assist you should the need ever arise again. I hope it doesn't! God Bless!
-Brian
 
Interesting story! You were in the right place at the right time for sure. Sounds like it helped you as much as it helped your neighbor.
 
Once again proof that there is a creator, sustainer and he speaks to us.
We just need to be better listeners.
 
I always say God has already walked our Path. He knew where you were supossed to be that day. You done good.:thumbsup:
 
Ed, I must let you know, I check out the site everyday. just to see what's going on with everyone. (I log in rarely, but am always looking) Not into reading much , (attention span of a cat).
But when I see you post 'Another Ed story' I have to ck. you out.
You are awesome, God Bless You.
 
As an old Indian medicine man once said, " We are spiritual being having an earthly experience ". Our Creator could have just as easy made us to be else where with Him, but chose for us to go thru a life here for a short bit of time. There MUST be a great value we gain from our experiences here. Thanks for sharing Ed, in my much shorted days here than before, stories like these help me remember that nothing matters like the people you love and those that love you. All else is vanity.....
 
Thank you guys. A lot. Seriously. :)
I wanted to make sure I had relayed one other notion on this subject this morning:
namely, that I'm not foolish enough to think I'm special in any sort of way in being
"dispatched", though....
I think everyone is "sent" on these little missions - all the time!

If anything else, that sort of answers the biggest question of all, at least for me:
"why are we here?"

Of course, me being my own worst critic, I then think of all the years I didn't hear
the calls when they came, wasn't receptive, had too much noise in my life to be able
to respond to them....for whatever reason, I failed to answer.
Sometimes, when I look back on my life now, I can identify times when He was trying
to send me and I just didn't....so I guess that motivates me to do so now even more.

Does any of this make any sense or am I just babbling. :)
 
Ed, you are a good man and more than once have seen you speak of things that causes us all to take pause in our daily travels. I do believe your paths were to cross that day, who is to say that Angels always come from heaven?

Bob
 
As an old Indian medicine man once said, " We are spiritual being having an earthly experience ". Our Creator could have just as easy made us to be else where with Him, but chose for us to go thru a life here for a short bit of time. There MUST be a great value we gain from our experiences here. Thanks for sharing Ed, in my much shorted days here than before, stories like these help me remember that nothing matters like the people you love and those that love you. All else is vanity.....
Absolutely - and now since most all of my own family are gone, I am left with a whole lot of
empty and a lot of regrets that "I shoulda, I woulda, I coulda's".
I wasn't the best son, brother, husband...I could have done so much better at it, but the fact I miss them all
so dearly tells me that at least I must have wanted to be, anyways. I guess?
 
Thank you guys. A lot. Seriously. :)
I wanted to make sure I had relayed one other notion on this subject this morning:
namely, that I'm not foolish enough to think I'm special in any sort of way in being
"dispatched", though....
I think everyone is "sent" on these little missions - all the time!

If anything else, that sort of answers the biggest question of all, at least for me:
"why are we here?"

Of course, me being my own worst critic, I then think of all the years I didn't hear
the calls when they came, wasn't receptive, had too much noise in my life to be able
to respond to them....for whatever reason, I failed to answer.
Sometimes, when I look back on my life now, I can identify times when He was trying
to send me and I just didn't....so I guess that motivates me to do so now even more.

Does any of this make any sense or am I just babbling. :)
You’ve been kept here until you became aware and listened... now you’re on the right path!
 
Damn good man Ed! I try not to question the “whys” anymore. Just gives me a headache. I just try to help and do the best I can. When the time comes, I’ll end up on the plus side. I’m glad you were there for him. More importantly, I’m sure he’s glad you were there too.
 
Thanks for sharing Ed! And yes we all need purpose! I sometimes wonder what mine is also. GOD bless!
 
God bless you Ed. You saved a man's life. I hope you get feeling better soon.
 
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Ed thanks for sharing, for me I always said God uses the fool and Im the fool. Dont look back at regrets because we all have them. I should of been a better husband I realized that when I lost Lori but she loved me anyway. She would remind me your lucky I love Jesus David. Man I miss her and life does seem empty. He has a plan for us all so keep on keeping on. Hope the docs can give you some answers soon my friend. God Bless Dave
 
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