---

The Day My Husband Died

A Modern Day Miracle

*NOTE: I have adopted the name Jack-Jack for our youngest son who is 10, and Dash for our 12-year-old. I call my daughter Violet. This makes me Elastigirl (Helen Parr) and my husband Mr. Incredible (Bob Parr). This is based on the Disney/Pixar movie The Incredibles. My two oldest sons are just called by their real names. And this is our story about our Modern Day Miracles.

 Sometimes we miss life by watching for the amazing!

Just a Normal Everyday Day:

If you had asked me if I believe in modern-day miracles, I would say yes, but those are things that happen to other people. Our family believes that we are saved because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we have seen God perform miracles in many people’s lives, but our miracles have always been small and seemingly insignificant. We lead ordinary lives. Lives that Mr. Incredible would find boring.

Just like Mr. Incredible, my husband has a desk job by day. He answers phone calls and emails, helps clients with their programming/computer needs, and does the day-to-day operations of the business. Just like Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible’s civilian name), he hates the paperwork aspect of his job (the taxes, the billing, the logs, etc). Just like Bob and Helen Parr’s marriage, ours had become mundane.

We still loved each other, but the day to day got in the way of romance and affection. It seldom seemed that anything amazing ever happened. And just like Mr. Incredible, my husband appeared to be able to withstand pressure and almost seemed indestructible. But even Mr. Incredible has his breaking point.

My husband and I used to kiss every single morning. We have been married 30 years and for the last few years, we have forgotten to kiss in the morning. On Thursday, April 30, 2015, we woke up and went about our day. Our family was preparing to leave for a trip to Disney to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. I was beyond excited; this was “the invite-only conference of the year.”

Overwhelmed with Too Much to Do

There was so much to be done. My husband and I set out on our different paths for the day, The night before he mentioned that the church softball league would be starting again; I really didn’t want him to play because life has been too crazy. Since his day job is inside, I know he likes to play because it gets him outside. With everything going on, we didn’t even have time to discuss softball, and I figured we would address how I felt about him playing at a later date. Just like Helen Parr, I expected it to fall on deaf ears.

I don’t remember if we kissed that morning, but I do remember feeling so overwhelmed at my to-do list – packing, washing clothes, making lists, and getting some food for the trip to Florida. As Elastigirl I often feel stretched beyond what I consider normal, and certainly beyond my comfort zone.

In the afternoon Mr. Incredible came in the house from taking care of outside chores. He was leaving to go to the bank and to softball practice. We said goodbye, but I don’t remember kissing him. I continued making preparations for our trip. Later, as I was contemplating what to make for dinner, the phone rang.

The Phone Call that Changed My Life – Our Modern Day Miracle

The Phone Call: (My sincere prayer is that the pastor that called me, never has to make a call like that again. I also pray that my friends and family never are on the receiving end of such a call.)

I was told that Mr. Incredible was taking his turn at batting practice. He had hit a dozen good hits and then a bad pitch was thrown. Everyone thought he was goofing off and swinging at it; the next moment he was down on the ground. They realized he wasn’t joking, and there was no pulse. Two of the guys from church had started CPR.

I remember asking who was praying. “We all are” was the response. But I was told it had been over 12 minutes, and he was completely non-responsive. I said, “Keep praying. God raises the dead,” and then I handed the phone to Violet.

It’s a Modern Day Miracle

After that, I don’t remember the sequence of events beyond thinking that I needed to go somewhere. I didn’t even know where they played softball. What kind of wife doesn’t know where her husband is playing softball? How would I get to where I needed to go? Where were my shoes and socks? As Violet continued to talk to the pastor, the EMT had arrived at the scene.

The EMT used a portable AED  (Automated external defibrillator) device, and my husband was shocked one time. The AED device tells you if the patient can be shocked. Once shocked, he began to come to and started talking, and by the time they were putting him on the ambulance, he was joking and laughing.

When asked questions (name, address, social security number, where he was), he answered quickly and without any problem.

When he arrived in the Emergency Room, he asked for his phone and texted me.

Heal the sick, raise the dead

Stop Trying to Explain Away Miracles:

 Is there life AFTER DEATH? This movie attempts to answer that question.