In February 2021, Snowmageddon visited Texas. We had one of our rare storms we get every decade or so where everything shuts down. Most of us Texans don’t really know what freezing temperatures mean, so if a hint of a snowflake or shaving of ice appears, we close everything down. At the onset of this winter storm, I thought Death beckoned me.

I felt as if an invisible assassin twisted a dagger into my chest. My daughter sat next to me while pain rocked inside of me. I asked her father to come get her before the storm truly set in. While we waited for him to arrive, my daughter and I heard this choir outside. We looked out the window, and an entire bush outside and the ground around it supported countless robins gobbling down red berries.

I tried to enjoy this scene, but my chest continued clenching. My daughter went with her father, and I went to the nearest urgent care. Upon arrival, I let the front desk staff know chest pains caused my visit, and immediately received intervention including an EKG test. The doctor said the EKG didn’t show signs of a heart attack, but she said I still needed to visit an emergency department. The storm had not fully descended upon us, so I drove myself to the nearest hospital.

Once at the hospital, I told the front desk staff the reason for my visit. A nurse immediately came out and took me to the back area. I told him I just had an EKG and tried to show him the results; however, he gruffly hooked me up to run another EKG. A host of other nurses came through asking questions and prodding me. The invisible assassin continued to carry out her mission. A nurse gave me Tylenol to help offset the assassin’s attack.

The results were in: no heart attack. The doctor read the results of both EKGs, and said she could not determine the reason for my chest pains. She made referrals for me to see a cardiologist and gastroenterologist.

I drove home. At home, the Tylenol wore off and I started crying. Physically, my body hurt. Mentally and emotionally, my heart hurt and I believed death would claim me. I sent my baby sister a text message letting her know where to locate important documents. I texted my pastor and asked him to pray for me. He tried to call but I didn’t answer. I hurt too much to talk.

I cried out to God and asked him to take the pain away. He didn’t.

Eventually, the pain completely subsided after a day or so. To this day, I have no idea what happened to me. Angina? A horrible case of indigestion? I don’t know. What I do know: I received a wake-up call to start living.

I hope none of you have to go to an urgent care or hospital to get an EKG to check a chest crisis, but I do hope all of us can take time out of each day to check our hearts. Not only do I want to keep my heart in check, but I want to live joyfully–embracing this precious, fleeting thing called life. I hope you’ll walk with me as I share pieces of my heart in the form of poetry, ponder life, and glean wisdom from the Proverbs.

Blessings,

EKG