I felt moved share this story, and so I will.

About 10 years ago I started having muscle spasms in my neck. They would hit so hard that the back of my head would slap my back. The pain was unusual, and I was at the family house completely alone.

My grandmother was out doing service, and when I called my dad trying to explain what was happening he told me to call 911 if it was that bad. I couldn’t explain it properly. I was in too much pain and the spasms were stopping my words.

I knew I needed to get dressed and make my way to the hospital somehow, but the shower was all the way in the basement, two floors down. The tub wouldn’t have worked, my movements we’re too unpredictable, and getting low may have resulted in additional injury.

As I took each stair I thanked God for letting me make it down one step without falling. 16 stairs later I still had 13 stairs to go. When I rounded the corner I called my dad one more time, and as the phone rang I asked God to help me explain what was happening to me. My dad told me he was on the way and when I hung up I thanked God for giving me the right words… I didn’t have anything close to $500 to cover that ride.

I continued my praise for every single step all the way to the shower. Then I kept giving thanks for every scrub between spasms and every time I didn’t fall when I lost my balance. I got clean, I got dressed, I got back upstairs to wait for my dad and I made it into his car.

The whole ride over the spasms wouldn’t stop, and every turn my dad made they intensified. I thanked God for not being alone anymore. We made it to the hospital and I thanked God for my dad getting me there safely. I had to wait in a wheelchair and it took a while for them to get to me, I thanked God that it didn’t seem life threatening.

They gave me muscle relaxers and no real diagnosis but the spasms slowed down, I thanked God for some relief.

I called my then boyfriend, as of this upcoming Saturday, my husband and told him what I went through and he came to the house and sat with me. I thanked God for company, because my grandma was worried sick…

I went through that battle for about a week, and then it took a few months to calm down completely. Now I can tell when the spasms will start and I ease up on whatever I’m doing. I thank God for that experience and the education to not have to go through it like that again.

I told all this long story to say that life is going to hit you with all kinds of things at any time. Sometimes it will feel like a personal attack. Sometimes it will feel like punishment. No matter what, don’t miss the opportunity to give thanks for all the mercy along the way. It could be worse, and as long as you can still form the words in your mind to give thanks, do it.