Life in Tribulations- Kay Lynn Bryce

Let me explain this post... I woke up this morning and I honestly felt very lonely. I gave myself a pep talk and decided I had 2 choices. I could be sad all day or I could take what I'm feeling and use it as fuel to do something for someone else. So I thought about what I could do. I decided to drive to my favorite bakery and get a bunch of cookies and go pass them out to whoever I saw. I went in and bought the happiest looking cookies they had-- sprinkle! The bakery workers filled a bag of cookies and I headed out with no plan other than making someone's day. I prayed that God would lead me to people who needed encouragement. I was driving down Poplar Ave. and I saw a lady sitting on the curb outside of Starbucks. I pulled in the Starbucks parking lot and grabbed my bag of cookies. I sat down on the curb with her, asked her name, and handed her a cookie. She started telling me her story and I asked if she knew Jesus. She said she did know Jesus! After listening to her for a while, she said she wished she could get her story out there. I said well I have a blog and you could post on my blog if you wanted to. So she spoke and I typed and here is what she said. [she told me many things some of them too painful to share with you but this is her story.]

My name is Kay Bryce. I was born with an AVM (arterial vascular malformation) and I found out when I was 34 and am now 56 years old. On the day I found out I had AVM, I was so bad off that when someone finally found me I was dead. I died 4 more times in the ambulance & one more time at the hospital. They got a hold of my sister and I made it to Green Bay Hospital. I was in the hospital 3 months and I had a trach. My youngest boy wouldn't even come up to me because I looked so scary with the trach. To treat me they shaved all of my hair off and cut my head open and put stitches in. I asked them how many stitches they put in my head and they said one big one. I had to go through a lot of therapy. My family left me and on Feb 4 2009 I drove my van from Wisconsin to Memphis. I lived in my van. One evening my van was locked and I went to a restaurant downtown and my van was gone when I came back. I called the police to see if there was a shelter for me and there wasn't one unless I had a kid. I told the cop he must be crazy if he thinks I want a kid to go through what I'm going through. I stayed under a bridge at Lamar Ave. and Bellevue for 2 months. A lot of bad things happened to me in those 2 months. I had to find a way out. Now I rent an apartment.

Today I met Nicole outside of Starbucks and she let me post on her blog. Nicole asked me to share one thing I think society has forgotten over the years. I would tell you that your life isn't as bad as what you think. Just knowing me, my life is 20 times worse than yours is I promise you. I live in Orange Mound but Jesus protects me against everything. Life has its ups and downs but if it wasn't for Jesus I wouldn't be here. I feel that he wants me to talk about what I've been through. I can't walk on my own. I have to use a walker. I can't take care of my kids now. But Jesus has enriched my life a lot. He's brought many people into my life some of them are called angels. I want people to realize that their life isn't that bad. If you're able to walk and talk be thankful. God will be behind you. 

Nicole typing now--Kay had many things to share with me. Some of them brought her to tears and I am truly broken for this lady. She has had a very rough life but it's clear that God has watched over her because she is still alive. What I would like anyone reading this to gather from Kay's words would be that we have to care about people. Kay and I read a passage in Luke over lunch and one verse that sticks out to me is Luke 12:48. "...from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." I've been blessed with being cared for all my life. God has given me much and so I have a responsibility to show love to those who have not. No exceptions. Show love to everyone. God has given much so God demands much. 

^ Kay 

^ my bag of sprinkle cookies