Yvonne’s Challenge

For many years, I’ve lived by three mantras:  1) there are no accidents in life; 2) the universe provides; 3) possibility exists everywhere if you just open your heart and your mind.  Now I don’t always like the lessons, but I do know that the messages are often instructive reminders.  Like when I don’t want to be somewhere and I arrive, only to find a parking place at the front door.  That’s when I stop, laugh out loud, and speak the words “OK, I got it.” 

I also believe in miracles.  In fact, every single day of my life I notice what I call little miracles — whether I’m thinking of someone, the phone rings and it’s that person.  Or when I miss every single  traffic light on the way to work out when I really didn’t want to go.  Again, another “I got it.”

The series of miracles that have occured in the past two months are lessons in everything I believe.  My seeing Beth and David at Bev’s funeral, and her “random” question about my health challenges that Bev had shared with her.  The fact that Buddy Donaldson wasn’t a match, but Beth was when the odds against a match are so huge.  The fact that I envisioned September as the transplant date, and Beth preferred sometime before May.  The fact that I wouldn’t have made it to September since my function had diminshed to 14 percent.  Our ability to put together the transplant “dream team” for both of our surgeries on such short notice.  That with the help of Ali, Mike and Todd, we were able to get a blog up and running in record time so we could communicate our progress.  All of these things add up to a series of miracles that are beyond understanding.  Then again, there are no accidents in life, and the universe does provide.  Imagine that so many of you understood the possibilities around this challenge and have been with us 1000 percent.  Despite everything I believe and know, the kindness, love and generosity are hard to comprehend. 

Over the past four years, I have had the great privilege to serve on the Dean’s Advisory Council at the LSU Business School.  These wonderful Louisiana people made the work such fun and so extraordinary.  I count Wendy Luedtke, Karen Deville, Tim Rodrigue and Darrell Broussard as great friends — and there are many more on their respective teams who are equally amazing. 

I mention this because Tim sent me a note the day before surgery that brought tears to my eyes.  His sweet note concluded with “Who knew that there would be two Good Fridays this Easter season?”

Two weeks ago today, Beth gave me the gift of life.  That, my friends, is an amazing Good Friday in my book.  Today we celebrate the actual Good Friday and know that God’s many graces have made all of this possible. 

For so many years I have been very private about this kidney disease.  My goal has always been to manage a chronic illness, not “be” the disease I have.  I’ve never featured myself as a sick person; just someone who has a situation to be managed quietly, privately and without fanfare.  Obviously the fact that this blog exists has “outed” me to the world.  While I admit that there’s a “yikes” factor for me, I want to shout from the roof tops the miracle of Two Good Fridays this Easter season, as Tim notes, and thank the good Lord that Beth and David Looney made my life possible again.  Somehow, I “got it” that I have plenty more work to do in this life, and there must be a plan and purpose that the universe has in store.

Spring and summer — even summer in Houston — are my favorite times of the year.  It’s flowers, new life, great warm weather, fresh breezes and the promise of new miracles and possibilities.  So as I reflect today about remembering the lessons, I hope you’ll know that each one of you are miracles in my life. 

Love, Yvonne