It's amazing what an ambulance can remind you of...

I just back from Applebee's, my girlfriend Carmen, called me this evening and asked if I was available to go out to eat. She wanted to take me out to eat. (That was sweet of her wasn't it) Of course working for myself, I was able to finish up early and enjoy a nice dinner with Carmen. I drove separately and met her at the resteraunt so on the way home we of course were driving separately. In the distance I heard sirens, then up ahead I saw the read flashing lights. It was an ambulance. I was immediately taken back to the most memorable moment in my life of seeing an ambulance.

We were in my Nannie and Papa's car, my twin brother Stacy O'Quinn and I, it was dark out and we were backing up past the parked ambulance. It was sometime after 3am and it was our driveway we were backing out of. Earlier that morning (closer to 3 am) we had been awaken by our mama who quickly clicked on the bedroom light that we shared saying "Get up boys, your daddy is sick".

Daddy, had never really been sick. The night before we had attended church, afterwards we had went home. The evening had been uneventful by all accounts, it ended with us kissing mama and daddy goodnight. And now mama was waking us up. We were only 9 years old and we had no idea what time it was, thinking it was closer to the time we would normally wake up we were moving at our normal groggy pace. In a moment mom came back down the hall and said, "Boys, you have got to hurry up".

In the next minute we overheard her say this on the telephone with a seriousness we were not use to, "Mama, it's me. Mama, call Johnnie (my uncle who was a first responder and volunteer firefighter) it's Edgar, (my dad) I think he's having a heart attack". Now my brother and I, heard that and we knew it was pretty serious we knew our Nannie and Papa had friends that had died from heart attacks. We quickly finished putting on our pants and T shirts, mama came to our room as we were finishing. Standing at the door, she called us out. I can still remember she was standing between us and the hallway that opened up directly to their bedroom. She hurried us into the opposite room which was the living. She sat us on a chair, and told us that we needed to pray. She reminded us that just weeks before we had learned the Lord's Prayer at church and in unison we started, "Our father which art in heaven; hollow be thy name...'

This continued several times through with mama moving about doing what amounted to busy tasks, she was almost robotic like. In a few minutes the door opened, it was my Uncle Johnnie and Aunt Brenda. My cousin, Tabitha who was probably about 14 yrs old was with them. Uncle Johnnie and Aunt Brenda, went past us with their supply bags in their hand. Tabitha, came over to Stacy and I on the chair, mama followed them down the hall to the bedroom where daddy was. Within a few moments we heard Uncle Johnnie say something over his radio, my brother stood up from the chair we were sitting on and ran to the couch, which gave him a clear visible view down the hall to where daddy was laying in his bed. Tabitha, quickly ran after him and called his name, "Stacy, come back here". I ran behind her as she pulled Stacy back to our original chair. I glanced down the hall before following Stacy and Tabitha; I have since had that picture burned in my memory. It was a picture of my daddy laying on the bed, he looked very peaceful as if he was sleeping. He was on his back, and his hands were on his chest with his fingers interlaced.

We were quickly back on the chair waiting for what was to happen next. In a matter of minutes my Nannie and Papa came in the front door. They went back and ended up talking to mama and then mama came and proceeded to ask us to leave with them to go to their house. I remember telling mama, "We want to go with daddy. We want to go to the hospital with daddy".

She encouraged us to go with Nanny and Papa saying we had to get some sleep. We eventually resigned and went with them. Hence, my memory as we left the driveway passing the ambulance that arrived shortly after Nannie and Papa. We went to Nannie and Papa's house and went to sleep in Papa's bed. We woke up as it was getting light outside. Laying in Papa's bed I realized we were not going to school. In a few minutes we heard mama come in. There was some conversation between her and her parents but I don't remember being able to understand what was being said.

Mama called to us to come in the living room. We got up and went in there and found her sitting in my Nannie's recliner. We asked if daddy was OK and when he was going to be better. Mama, asked us to sit in front of her. We sat on the floor and she leaned forward and proceeded to say, "Your daddy is in heaven". It was not that simple but that was the jist of it. My life has forever been changed. It continues to be changed to this day. A picture of the greatest man I have ever known hangs in my home office. I am forever reminded that we are never promised a tomorrow.

**Note -- My daddy's autopsy was inconclusive. To this day there is no known cause of his death. I reread it myself after I become a nurse. It was not a heart attack as my mom had originally thought that morning.

Tonight as that ambulance passed me on the way home, this entire memory ran through my mind in a split second. As it went by, I said the same prayer I have said to my self every time I have seen a ambulance with sirens blaring for the past 19 years. "God please let them, get their in time".

I have spent this time writing this entry to remind you of the same thing I was reminded of tonight. We are not promised a tomorrow, make the most of today. Are you where you want to be in life? Are you taking steps now to get to where you want to be in your life?

Thanks for sharing my memory,

Jackie O'Quinn
1-800-620-3019
Jackie's Website