Sailing the River

I had my MRI on Friday. First off, I became a pin cushion for the tech. I had gone for a run in the morning with Mrs. Prince, we are trying to work off the baby weight. I tried to drink as much water as I could to replenish the fluid I lost in the 4 miles I jogged/walked but I guess it was not enough. It took the tech three attempts to finally get a viable IV started on me to administer the contrast. She said if she didn't get it the third time, she was going to send me home and make me come back in in a few days. I am glad she got it, because I would have been very frustrated if I had to go in a third time to get the MRI. So as I was laying there through the exam, I started to wonder how the heck I was able to sleep through my last MRI.
When I was in 68W training (the medic school for the Army), I had some major shoulder pain that ended up being a damaged nerve resulting in a condition they call "Rucksack Palsy", or Parsonage Turner Syndrome. Anyway, before they were able to tell what was wrong, the Army doc ordered an MRI of my shoulder. As I lay in the big noisy machine on Friday, I wondered how the heck I slept through the entire 45 min exam the first time. Yes, they gave me ear plugs my first time, but even with the ear protection on this time, the machine sounded like a jackhammer drilling away. I realized I must have been exhausted during training.
Now that I reflect back, one thing the Army taught me, in addition to shooting and running, clearing a building, and saving a fellow soldier, is to sleep anywhere, anytime. I even learned how to sleep standing up. I remember falling asleep on the rifle range while the other half of the soldiers were firing their M16s, I guess the rat-a-tat-tat of the weapons was an interesting type of white noise. Of course when I was up at 4 am every morning and lucky to get to bed by 10pm, I worked out and trained all day and even occasionally in the middle of the night when a Drill Sargent felt like being extra mean, I learned really quickly to catch a wink of sleep whenever the opportunity arose. I must have really needed a good nap when I was in the MRI machine back then, because there was no way I could have slept through it yesterday.
The coolest part of the MRI yesterday was that they had a pair of head phones I could wear and listen to music through the process. I asked her to play a little country music. I love country. People make fun of it, but I feel country is a main stream kind of gospel music. Most of the music is focused on family, God, love, and even loss. Even if you don't like country, I guarantee you there is a country song that you can relate to. One of my favorite artists came on toward the end of the exam, Garth Brooks. I have always loved his music, even before I became a country fan. All of the sudden, a song of his that I have loved for years took on a whole new meaning. "The River". There is a verse that goes:

There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all...yes

I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try
So I will sail my vessel
'Til the river runs dry

garth brooks -- the river @ Yahoo! Video

I started to tear up. It was so true. I have take probably the biggest fall I will ever have to face in life this past April. I have given my burdens and grief up to God and asked for his strength and trusted him to be my captain through the rest of this journey. I will continue to sail wherever this river and this wind blows me. And I will not give up until he calls me up with him.