The 30 Day Photo Challenge Day Twenty

It's been a bit of a rough night/day.  Yesterday evening, Nana had to call for an ambulance to come and get Papaw.  He was sweating and in intense pain.  When they arrived at the hospital, his heartrate was 27 beats per minute.  My sister, mom, and Nana were with him.  They put him in ICU and he seemed stable, when all of a sudden his heart just stopped.  They told me that within seconds about 12 nurses and doctors were frantically ushering my family out of his room; they had to shock his heart.  My sister said his groans of pain could be heard outside, and mom said it was frightening to hear him experience that.  They had to shock him several times while they inserted a temporary pacemaker in his femoral artery.  He has not slept much since, and is forced to remain lying down.  He cannot sit up or move turn over, and that has made him extra cranky.  Unfortunately, he can recall what it was like when they shocked him, even though most patients don't remember.  He swears the nurses were "beating him with paddles".  When I was with him this afternoon, he never stopped talking. However, his emotions were like a rollercoaster.  We laughed a lot, but at times he got emotional.  Mostly he just wants to be able to move around.   Hopefully, his bloodwork tomorrow will give the doctors the go-ahead to put him on a cath to see if there is any blockage (this is very dangerous for a 91-year-old).  Hopefully there is no blockage, because I am not sure his body can handle surgery.  Then, they still have to wait a few days before they can insert a permanent pacemaker. 

I ask for your prayers for his comfort, healing, and even his salvation...we have never truly been certain of his salvation.  Today, his pastor stopped by just to pray with him.  He prayed for discernment, clarity, and focus for the nurses and doctors so they could do God's will by Papaw.  The prayer moved Papaw, and later he discussed "faith" with Stacy and me. However, I still have some doubt as to whether or not Papaw is truly born again, so I pray for God to give me the right questions to ask.

Ironically, today's photo challenge couldn't connect more closely with Papaw.

The 30 Day Photo Challenge:  Day Twenty

A picture of a place you would like to visit.



There are so many places I want to go:  Africa, Spain, England...but before any of those, I would probably choose to go back to Italy.  I loved EVERYTHING about Italy...I loved Rome, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Tuscany, but most of all, POSITANO (pictured above).

When I knew I had the opportunity to visit Italy, I knew I wanted to spend a weekend on the Amalfi Coast.  In movies, I would always sigh during scenes that showcased a hot sports car driving the windy roads on this coast.  In "Under the Tuscan Sun", Diane Lane's character surprises her lover in Positano one weekend.  This place has got to be the closest thing to Paradise on Earth.  It is quiet, serene, and visually breath-taking.  The men are typical, flirtacious Italians; the natives do their best to speak English or to at least suffer through your version of Italian;  the food is divine, and the shopping is exquisite.  I have never looked more forward to visiting a place, and was never more sad to leave.  This picture was actually taken from our balcony.  Isn't that beautiful?

One day, while we were lazily sun-bathing next to the Mediterranean, I collected dozens of little sea rocks; they are multi-colored (reds, blues, greens, oranges) and look like glass.  I keep them in a hand-painted jar that I purchased from Positano, and they sit next to my bathtub.  The paintings in our bathroom are of Positano (also purchased on my trip) to help keep the Positano spirit alive!

My Papaw has been a true traveler.  He has been to every state in the U.S. and most of them twice;  he has been to Canada, the Virgin Islands, all over the Caribbean, all over Europe several times, and to New Zealand and Australia.  He helped fund my trip to Europe, as well as Stacy's, and was so overcome with emotion upon our return that he cried.  I think he loved to see his granddaughters share a love for traveling. 

Maybe someday, when I have money and medication, I will return to Italy's jeweled shores of Positano!