Focus Group shares... experience strength and hope
Posted by Linda Worle on
The funny thing is, until just now when I looked up who the artist was so I could credit the above quote, I honestly never knew the word was “bread.” You see, as I listened to my husband and the group sing, I heard “Fill me up, breath of heaven, fill me.” I wonder if I didn’t make the mistake because subconsciously, I knew I needed breath. I wanted so badly to be filled with breath. At that time I was on the lung transplant waiting list due to end-stage pulmonary disease caused by cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. It is a fatal disease. Even today, the average life expectancy of people living past childhood is only 37. (According to http://cysticfibrosisnewstoday.com/cystic-fibrosis-life-expectancy/) In 2005, I was 45.
Being 45 sounds great except to go on living, I needed different lungs. I had to wait 16 months on the lung transplant waiting list before receiving The Call that changed my life. My husband and I drove 2½ hours to University of Alabama, Birmingham. (We lived in Mississippi at the time.) They got me ready for the surgery and about 5PM, I went to the operating room. It was around midnight when everything was done. I actually woke up in the OR. I remember the ride in the bed to the ICU. It didn’t even bother me that I still had a tube in my throat and was breathing by mechanical ventilation. (This is perfectly normal after a big surgery like that.) I remember thinking, “These are my new lungs and I’m breathing!” Later that morning around 6AM they removed the tube and just left the oxygen via a tube to my nose which is what I had been wearing for 18 months. The next day, the nurse came in and took off the oxygen. She said, “You don’t need this anymore.” I cried.
You might think that all was going to be well. But that didn’t happen. I went from great to very very sick. Once again, my lungs weren’t breathing well. It took the next 2 years to get all the issues dealt with. It was hard. I just kept thinking that God had a purpose for me and that’s why he hadn’t taken me home. After all, He had ample opportunities many times.
On December 20, it will be 10 years since I got my lungs. They are working perfectly now and every day because of God’s gift, I can breathe again! I am filled up with breath from heaven.
To see the world through spiritual eyes is such a gift.
I love this piece. The components of it speak volumes to my soul. The fiber looking material is actually palm fiber, I chose fiber because fiber keeps things moving. The pods are crepe myrtle seed pods (that make fabulous jingle bells for winters decor. The fern is actually a resurrection fern. The fern appears to be totally dead but springs to life with a drop or two of rain. A kind word to my soul does much the same thing, brings new life to my being.
Breathing is Good. Wisdom in this piece is so great. I have a friend of mine Janabelle. She had a double lung transplant years ago and she said breathing is good... especially with new lungs! This piece breathing is good had its birth at our 3rd focus group May 21, 2016. Celebrating breath is great way to life!
"Breathe" song by Johnny Diaz... The lyrics in the song..
Breathe, just breathe. Come and rest at my feet and be, just be. Chaos calls but all you really need is to just breathe.
The synchronicity of the finished art pieces that has been touched and enhanced by at least 6-8 people is inspiring. Breathing is Good was given to me by one of the participants and let me tell you why. . . I had recently returned from a week-long Silent ReTreat. Yes, I was silent for 5 and a half days. I do this annually on 88 acres of pristine North Florida woods. (Actually the place where Johnny Weissmuller, who starred as Tarzan in the day of black & white TV & movies.) There are still decedents of the monkeys who were featured in the productions. I digress. What was so perfect about receiving a card with 3 pieces of sea glass affixed to the card was the message on top of the card. Breathing is Good. One of the exercises we did on the retreat was to learn how to breathe deeply and expand our lung capacity. I am a shallow breather and know mastering the “art of breathing” is a healthy practice. How out of 60 pieces of art I should receive Breathing is Good. It’s on my desk and I smile and remember to breathe deeply.
I have attended 3 Project Blooming focus group sessions and have been touched, moved, and inspired every time. Inhale deeply!