So a thing happened ten days ago. It was a week ago Monday - to be exact. It was a pretty normal day - Harv went golfing - I had a leisurely morning - had my coffee - breakfast - read the news online - had my regular Bible reading and prayer time -went for a long walk - spent the afternoon writing and reading. Nothing upsetting. No stress. Everything was absolutely normal.

Until it wasn’t.

I started to feel ill around 4 pm. Lightheaded, Nauseated. Fatigue. Heart Burn. Dizzy. Weakness. I lay down on my bed and hoped it would all go away. Harv had prepped supper but when I sat down at the table - I knew it was a no go. I went back to bed but shortly there after, I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach. As I was sitting on the bathroom floor - hovering over the toilet - I didn’t know if I’d throw up first or faint.

Only one thought came to my head - “I won’t have a heart attack on my bathroom floor.”

I called Harv and told him he needed to get me to the hospital.

I was triaged very quickly - they took me right in. The nurse doing my vitals - asked me if my blood pressure was normally elevated. I said a bit - sometimes when I was at the doctor’s. Maybe a bit of “white coat syndrome". This was not the case now. My bp was registering over 200.

Throughout the evening - the staff took excellent care of me - ECG - blood work - urine samples - everything came back “ticketey boo” - normal. The doctor said - no damage to my heart at all - but was concerned with the “anti-inflammatory” meds I was taking for the thumb surgery. Too much in my inactive system - and the fact of my family’s history of high blood pressure - was the probable cause of the tremendous spike. By 10 pm - my bp was “down” to 164 - (they had given me a small dose of medication to continue to bring it down) - and sent me home. The kind doctor kindly reminded me that if any symptoms popped up through the night - to get back to emergency “stat”.

I’ve thought a lot about my heart this past week! I didn’t know how hard it works for me! I found out that it beats over 100,000 times every day. It pumps 1.5 gallons of blood every minute. I can’t even comprehend that. I wasn’t aware that I have 60,000 miles of blood vessels in my body. How? Where? And more heart attacks happen on a Monday (statistically). Why?

There are so many quotes about the Heart! Home is where the heart is. Follow your heart. That person has a heart of gold. Learn something by heart. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Take something to heart. A change of heart. Have a heart. The heart garners a lot of attention.

Emotionally - spiritually - physically - the heart is fragile - yet so powerful. Life-giving. Sometimes swayed. Easily moved. Sometimes fickle but always strong when faced with difficulties. It is fierce when protecting those we love. Out of the heart the mouth speaks.

I’m thankful for the Bible and its encouraging verses regarding the heart.

I’m encouraged by the prophet Ezekiel when he says - “I (God) will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” I’ve been there! Times when my heart is hard and angry - I’ve said things that I wish I could take back - I’ve thought thoughts that I’m not proud of…..and then I’m reminded that a fresh start is always offered. Forgiveness is granted.

I love the Psalms! King David wrote many of them - probably when he was a young teenager - while caring for his sheep - under the star lit sky. I can see him in my mind’s eye. His writing in Psalm 34:8 has comforted me so any times - “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I’ve been there. So broken that I could hardly breathe. Crushed. But what joy knowing that God was close - was near.

I know and understand the importance of protecting my heart because my actions and life choices originate from it. Proverbs - written by the wisest man who ever lived - Solomon - is filled with wise sayings. Solomon wrote - “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guard it. Don’t give it away easily. Don’t allow things and people into it who have no business of being there. What goes into it - comes out. I’ve been there!

John Piper said this about the heart - “Whenever your heart starts to be anxious about the future - preach to your heart and say to it - ‘Heart - will you nullify the promises of God because of fear?’ By no means. Do not exalt yourself with anxiety. Lean into peace and joy as you trust the precious and great promise of God - He cares for you.”

I’ve always admired my siblings - I’ve looked up to them - I’ve been mentored by them - I’ve followed their examples in so many ways - I love them all - and now - I’ve been admitted into their group - the BP group. One that I had hoped not to join for a bit - I thought diet and exercise would keep me out of that group. And it did - for a lot of years. (Sometimes I forget that I’m creeping - oh so close - to “3 score and 10!”) DNA trumps most things! Grateful for the meds that are keeping my bp where it should be - 120/79.

Guard your heart.