Rick Bonner had experienced lower back pain for years. He knew he needed back surgery but, as many of us might do, he convinced himself that it was not the time.
By Nov. 14, 2014, however, Rick knew the time had come.
Everything went well with the surgery. In fact, he didn't have to take a single pain pill. There was, however, another problem -- Rick didn't awaken from the anesthetic for 11 days.
In retrospect, he must have felt a bit like Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, though the latter slept 20 years and Rick only lasted 11 days. But the journey of those days is vivid in Rick's memory.
At the time, Rick thought he was in a Japanese hospital where people were kind and compassionate, but he had to be physically restrained. When he regained consciousness, he realized he was in an American hospital in Chattanooga. As in his dream, the staff proved to be kind and compassionate and, indeed, he had been physically restrained.
During his time of unconsciousness, Rick saw his grandmother, who had lovingly reared him and been dead for 30 years. She approached Rick, who was standing on the banks of the Ohio River and said, "It's time to go back to Chattanooga." He believes this was the turning point in that strange experience. The river represented death and Chattanooga represented continuous life. Rick was given the choice, and he chose life.
"How has this experience affected your current life?" I asked. Without hesitation he replied: "I have come to realize how precious the gift of life really is. I want to be fully aligned with God's purposes, and be empowered daily by a close relationship with Christ."
When I hung up the telephone receiver, I sat quietly uttering a heartfelt prayer, "May I live my life aligned with God's purposes as exemplified by Christ. May I do it with gratitude and joy. My time is now."
Contact Nell Mohney at nellwmohney@comcast.net.