How it All Started Part 3

So we are at July 11, 2023, I’m laying in bed, received instructions from Holy Spirit to basically chill girl you are healed now endure the process, and so I close my eyes and go to sleep, cause that’s the one thing I seem to do very well lately.  The very next day I have to call my Directors and managers at MSP (Maryland State Police) and let me take a pause right here and say I work for one of the best Departments in the State of Maryland.  Once I gave the report of what had happened every single person gave me major support and help in anyway I needed it!!  Our Top-ranking officer (The Coronel) personally called me to hear the story and give me support stating that if I needed anything to please let him know, he gave me his contact information and told me to have my family contact him when the surgery was done so that the department knew that I was well and in recovery.  That phone call brought me to tear as many more did during this preparation.  So I didn’t just get calls to find out if my work was complete, No... I got calls to see if I was ok, if I needed anything, any assistance in preparing for this procedure and most of all Love.  Now I don’t know if you get this from your place of employment but let me tell you MSP is the exception!  So once the initial phone call to let them know I would not be back in the office and will be working as much as I can from home until the date of my surgery on August 2, 2023.  Daily I am making arrangements to prepare for surgery, obtaining all of the items I need for time in the hospital and my six months of recovery.  During the third week of July I contacted one of the sisters from my church  who is a Notary Republic to get my Living will notarized which was one of the requirements by JHH before having a surgery of this magnitude. (If you need a great Mobile Notary please contact My sister friend Sharon Blakely at: Ms B Notary 4 U) I had to be sure everything was in order so that there would be no question that didn’t have an answer.  I remember this was Friday July 20, 2023, this was such a busy weekend, while preparing for surgery I also had a graduation party that I was helping to cater coming up on Sunday July 22, 2023… Now let me back track a little bit, I also had two of my favorites here visiting with me from NYC the last week of June until my surgery week, Talaya and Eden.   We were planning to have a little family summer fun until I found out I needed to have surgery, at any rate Talaya was determined to stay and help in any way she could.  As always, I thank God everyday for how HE sent help through every step of the way.  Now back to the busy weekend… Friday after getting all of my paperwork completed and notarized for the hospital, confirming all preop appointments, ordering husband pillows, socks, pj’s you name it we got it done.  The support begin to pour in friends and family begin to purchase items that I had on my amazon list, again the love was starting to flow.    Then I needed to hit the stores to shop for the catering event on Sunday, got that done, now we are up to Saturday July 21, 2023 of course all I want to do is rest and sleep in my body but my mind is saying let’s get up and enjoy the weather, it’s hot outside let’s go to the park for a little while.  A few of our friend met us and we all went to the park near my house, the kids are having fun on the swings, slides and just running around… everyone starts to get a little hungry so I make a run to Royal Farm and grab some chicken, fries, and rolls and take it back to the park.  Royal Farm has some of the best fried chicken oh my goodness... at any rate the kids all eat and it’s back to the park so I’m feeling full of energy and hop up to go get on the swings… I challenge the kids that I can most definitely get higher on the swings then they can…  so I get going and I’m up higher and having fun messing with them saying, “Now I’m older than yall and you guys can’t get higher than me on these swings”.  I’m laughing and having fun then I start to feel a little funny and I hear a still small voice on the inside of me say Errica, slow down and get off of the swing.  Now I know for sure that was the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me, one thing for sure I can tell you I know HIS voice.  So there was not a question,  I said ok I slowed the swing down and as soon as my feet were about to hit the ground my body begins to feel numb and all I could see was a golden circle in my vision surrounding my head, for about a minute maybe longer, then I slowly walk toward Talaya and she’s looking at me and grabs my arms and says are you ok?  Guys I’m staring at her and in my mind I’m saying yes I’m fine, but I can’t get the words out of my mouth.  She stares at me waiting for an answer and I promise you guys I’m saying to her I’m fine in my mind but it is not coming out of my mouth!  Then I see her eyes get really big and she holds my arms tighter and says Errica! Are you ok?  I finally get out yes I’m ok.  Well what happened was she saw the entire left side of my face loose figure it drooped down and then came back to normal.  (This is one of the actions that takes place when you have a stroke) I said just let me sit down for a second.  So she walks me over to the blanket and I sit down just to shake myself and get myself together, but my mind was in a fog I still felt like I was floating.  After I sat there for a few minutes got myself together I said ok guys let’s go home…  We loaded up my truck and everyone else loaded up their cars and we went back to my house yes I had a stroke and drove myself back home… (as I sit here and write this shaking my head, I was clearly out of my mind!  What in the world was I thinking?)  it was about a 5 min ride but when I got home I began to prep my food for the catering event the very next day.   Once I get settled and the young ladies are in the kitchen with me while I’m prepping…. I am butchering lamb chops but I am constantly calling the lamb chicken… (WHAT?)  Yes yall I’m calling lamb chops chicken… I keep saying to them I have no idea why I’m calling this chicken.  So what I didn’t know is that my brain had been effected by the stroke, the reason I kept calling the lamb chops chicken was because my brain kept remembering the last thing I did prior to the stroke, I was in Royal Farms buying chicken for everyone.   Now I’m standing in my kitchen saying in my mind, “Girl why are you still calling these lamb chops chicken?”  What is wrong with you?  Guys I’m walking around acting like I didn’t just have a stroke!  SMH!  I continue to press through because I have this party tomorrow!  Man Oh Man was I crazy!  I felt like I was blinking in and out of reality… Now while in the kitchen prepping the girls are offering to help me get things done and I’m saying no no no I got this… I am so use to cooking alone that’s just how I roll so finally I get all the lamb chops butchered and clean then started the marinating process… (By the way my lamb chops are phenomenal! I will add a picture for you guys)… Let me just say I can’t even begin to explain all that was going on in my head, it seemed like there was a huge tornado that shook up everything in my mind and the level of confusion was on a whole new level that I have never experience in my life.  It was like I was running around in my brain trying to put everything back in it’s proper order, but I didn’t have enough arms and legs to get all of my thoughts and actions back in the proper places.  I sit here and write this for you guys and I am still in awe of how I made it not only through this weekend but the next 2 weeks, as I said it before and I will continue to say it over and over again “It was nothing but the Grace of God that kept me alive through this entire ordeal.”  The wonderful, awesome, power of God kept me!  Sitting here with tears in my eyes knowing that there are people who have had minor heart attacks, and didn’t live to see the very next second!  Nobody could ever tell me that there is no God and I believe them… There is still so much more to tell but my eyes are starting to let me know that it’s time to check out what my eyelids look like for a few hours.  LOL!!  Now as we ended the convo last week do me a favor and put your hands on your chest and tell me How’s your Heart?