The Final Goodbye (2) By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week my story continues about a new friend facing serious health issues, in fact, life-threatening issues. Read about her courage and how she moves past the initial diagnosis she received in Fort Myers, Florida.

My friend asked all of us to pray for her

She then asked me about my story and what I did for a living, my family, and children. I was more than happy to tell her about me and who I was. She listened as I whispered into her ear. She smiled as I told her about my dreams, goals and how I loved helping people. I painted a word picture for my new friend by describing where I lived in the mountains. I told her how beautiful the rock formation behind our house was. The gray boulders that towered into the Colorado blue skies, mixed in with the boulders were green, orange and yellow moss. How the aspen leaves in the fall have brilliant yellows and reds that would dance in the gentle blowing winds. The incredible smells of aspen leaves laying on the ground. I said in the distance; you could see the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. This brought a smile to her face as I painted that picture for her with my words.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and then looked up; She was hurting I could tell by her facial expression. I asked her, “can I pray for you right now?” Normally I wouldn’t be so bold on a Southwest flight, but after talking with her, I knew we had a kindred spirit. She said “yes Please” so I put my arm around her shoulder and head to head we prayed at 37,000 Feet over Missouri.

As we descended into Kansas City, her spirits seem to perk up; she was ready to meet with her doctors and start getting the treatment she needed. She was fired up, and with a new vigor, I hadn’t seen during the entire time we talked during our flight. As we taxied towards gate, 24, She leaned over and looked at me straight in the eyes and said: “you’re the angel that God sent to me to encourage me through this.” Thank you so much, she said. I would like to keep in contact with you, can we exchange phone numbers, email addresses, and be friends on Facebook? I said, of course, we can, I would love that! With that said we wrote down our information and passed it to each other. 

When the flight attendant said it was OK to get up and open the overhead luggage compartments and deboard, my new friend got up as I did, and we hugged each other and said our goodbyes. She looked at me, and before she turned away and headed out the plane and said thank you for your prayers and being there for me. Since then we have become good friends. She asks for my prayers, and I check in with her time to time just to see how she’s doing.

Then yesterday the text came from her phone, “Mike this Joe, my mom’s in the hospital and not doing very well, she would like to talk with you. She’s been here a week, and it’s bad. Can you please call as soon as you can?” I called as when I was done with a meeting I was attending. Joe answered the phone and told me that his mom was going into hospice that afternoon. Her one remaining kidney was failing, and the doctors said she was declining rapidly. He put my friend on the phone, and the first words out of her mouth in a whispered voice was “Mike, I’m getting a new body, I will see Jesus real soon.” She said that her one remaining kidney is shutting down, and she doesn’t have a lot of time left.

My friend is facing the end and getting ready for a new adventure that we eventually all will face. She is strong in her faith and ready to move on. She is in so much pain now, “I’m ready she said!”

Do you feel it’s hard to reach out to someone who is lonely? Are you lonely and want someone to reach out to you and you’re not sure how to make that happen? Would you like to find a core group of friends to do things within a safe setting? Have you experienced loneliness and want to help others who struggle with being alone? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need contact Dr. Mike and set up an appointment. Don’t allow loneliness to control the new experiences that you can enjoy today.

Please call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878. He can help you. He has helped several people going through tough times of loneliness.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Skype (if you want to Skype with Dr. Mike send him an email at mbrooks3353@gmail.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

The Final Goodbye (1) By Dr. Michael Brooks

How do you say goodbye to a dear friend you’ve only known for a year and a half? My story begins after visiting my brother in Florida; I wanted this to be a short trip just to check in and see how he was getting along. This story is an amazing story of a woman who is facing health issues that are life and death. Saying goodbye isn’t easy, as you’ll see.

I checked my phone for any messages or texts I received during a break from talking with some friends. I looked and saw the number from my dear friend whom I met on my return flight from Fort Myers back to Denver. I remember watching passengers walk past my seat wondering who my seatmates would be in the two seats next to me. Finally, a woman and her son looked at the seating numbers on their ticket and said they’d be seated next to me. Her son jokingly said that his mom was a talker, and watch out. We checked our seatbelts and got settled into our seats. As we sat waiting for our take off to Kansas City my seatmate and I started to get to know each other. She shared with me that she often stayed in Fort Myers during the winter months and her son, who was also sitting next to her, had to bring her home because of some medical issues she was having. As we spoke, my heart went out to this woman. She teared up as she shared her story about heading home sooner than she planned.

Someones passing can be very difficult and challanging!

She said that she was having all kinds of lower back pain and went to see a doctor about the pain in Fort Myers. He ordered her an MRI and some other tests. When the doctor looked at her results, he suggested that she immediately go back home and see her own doctors. She needed more extensive blood tests, a Pet scan, and other tests to determine what was going on. They had found a mass on her right kidney in Fort Myers, and so she was heading home to see her doctors in Kansas City for a complete diagnosis and treatment plan. And that’s how we met.

She softly whispered into my ear as she spoke, the jet engines were loud and that’s the only way I could hear her. She began to open up about her personal life and how proud she was of her children and grandchildren. How successful her sons had become and about their education and the jobs they now had. She would pause to reflect on her family and then continue sharing about her life and the things she had accomplished. Then she talked about her failures in marriage and the regrets of past relationships. The flight was about two hours and thirty minutes. I listened as she talked about her life story and how her faith in God kept her going throughout this whole ordeal. I can honestly say that she was amazing to talk to and get to know.

Next week you will see the strength of my friend as she was facing her health issues. Meanwhile, think about those who can use an encouraging word from you. Who are they and where are they?

Do you feel it’s hard to reach out to someone who is lonely? Are you lonely and want someone to reach out to you and you’re not sure how to make that happen? Would you like to find a core group of friends to do things with in a safe setting? Have you experienced loneliness and want to help others who struggle with being alone? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need contact Dr. Mike and set up an appointment. Don’t allow loneliness to control the new experiences that you can enjoy today.

Please call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878. He can help you. He has helped several people going through tough times of loneliness.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and Life Coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and remain in the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Skype (if you want to Skype with Dr. Mike send him an email at mbrooks3353@gmail.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!