In November of 1961 I was a girl of 12 and my life was basically like most other girls my age. My daddy had passed away the November of 1960 and my mother and I made our way through life with lots of friends and church members. During the two years my daddy had been sick our lives had totally changed. We had to sell our car. My mother had to go to work, as my daddy had to stop working immediately after he got sick. He was in and out of the hospital too many times to count. When he was in the hospital my mother would have to get me off to school, go clean someone's house, then we would ride the bus to the hospital. Sometimes our church friends would give us a ride to the hospital. My mother stayed in motion from sun up to sundown. I didn't realize the sacrifices she made until I was older. I guess I was caught up in my own little girl world. It hurt me that I could do virtually nothing but pray for my daddy. He would cry out,
"Jesus, please take me home!" I heard that phrase so many times that at night I had to put the pillow over my head to try to get my bearings. I hated it that my daddy had to suffer so much.

The fall after my daddy died we didn't realize that we needed to have the leaves cleaned out of our chimney. We had our furnace converted over from gas to coal. My daddy had thought it would be easier for my mother to have the gas. He didn't realize that someday it would nearly kill us. My mother had started cleaning a doctor's office. The doctor was a church member that my parents had known for years.

One morning my mother and I woke up and both of us were so nauseated. Normally I would jump out of bed and get ready for school. I loved going to school and I had to really be sick to even think about missing it. That morning I would get up and try to get dressed and I would nearly faint. My mother called the doctor and he came to check on us. He told us just to stay in bed and rest. When he left I felt chilly and I asked my mother if we could put the window in the bedroom down. We didn't realized that was our only source of fresh air. I got my transistor radio and put it close to my head and went to sleep.

The doctor sent his wife to check on us at lunch and she came back to the office and told him we were sleeping so soundly that neither of us woke up when she called our names. He became alarmed and hurried back to our house. By the time he got there both of us were totally unconscious. He called an ambulance and we were taken to the hospital. As I got out in the fresh air I remember opening my eyes seeing people but I couldn't speak. I looked over and my mother was still asleep. She was 61 and her lungs didn't respond as fast as mine. We were in the hospital for hours where I had been questioned by doctor after doctor. Finally, a young resident asked me if I had heard anything as I was ready to pass out. I remembered that it sounded as if a train was coming closer and closer and then I'd pass out. He said he had been on rotation at another hospital and there had been a family that had been overcome with carbon monoxide and they described the same sensation.

They sent the fire department back to our house and used some sensors and determined that the house was full of the gas fumes. They opened all the windows and aired it out. My mother finally recovered that night and it was a happy time for us that we were still among the living.
Folks, I feel the Lord had spoken to the doctor to tell his wife to come and check on us. If we had stayed in the house with the window closed we would have been dead within hours. Thank the Lord I have had the opportunity to live another 47 years and I praise His sweet name that He continued to watch over my mother and me.

I may have told this story before, but since it was at this time of the year it came to my mind and I wanted to share it. Don't ever take anything for granted. Love each other and thank our Creator for watching over us.

Simple Pleasures--Day 2 Vicks VapoRub. Yes, you read it correctly. It is a topical analgesic that my mother thought was the greatest thing for a cold. Unfortunately, with this latest weather change I am back to being all congested and I bought some Vicks VapoRub. I rubbed it on my chest and under my nose. It so reminds me of my mother and although a doctor once told her it was psychological that it worked for her. She didn't care. When we left his office she said she had been using it for years and she knew what worked. My mother rarely went to the doctor. This must have been a time when I was extremely ill because normally she would pray for me and eventually I would be fine. I know many people now that run to the doctor every time any little thing hurts them. I'm in the medical field, of course, I believe the Lord uses doctors. I'm just sharing how we lived back in the 50's.

May the Lord be with us as we enter these uncertain times. Hebrews 13:5, "Don't love money, be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?"