tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-200880212012-02-04T13:08:19.685-08:00Thoughts from the heart of someone trying to faithfully keep the "Light" from burning out or being "hidden under a basket." These lessons are the result of a daily walk and challenge of living through heart disease. This is both a blog about my physical experiences and the spiritual implications and lessons learned. May you, too, learn from what I have learned - and in an easier way. These words are truly "From My Heart" to you.LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-25670168134243710532009-07-26T20:02:00.000-07:002009-07-26T20:10:45.377-07:00

Well, in my attempt to change the appearance of my blog header somehow I ended up with a whole new URL for my Open Heart Journal. So please accept my apologies for the confusion and go to: www.kathleensopenheart.blogspot.com to find the most recent blogs. If you have signed up to follow me on this address please continue following me on the new URL as I will no longer be posting here.I'm really

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-82227052760935960512009-07-06T07:27:00.000-07:002009-07-06T10:16:10.768-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNALJuly 6, 2009A GAME OF TAG - A FUN DIVERSIONWay back in January while I was dealing with my first heart attack and getting ready to receive 7 stents, my dear Sister-in-law, Sharkbytes started a game of "tag" on her blog. Being fairly behind for obvious reasons I just saw the blog this morning and noticed that I was tagged. So I'm playing a little catch-up and enjoying the fun

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-82295727844115520992009-06-29T07:04:00.000-07:002009-06-29T07:49:51.106-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNALJune 28, 3009How Content I'm Not...An Honest ConfessionWhen I took a Summer School Course on "Prison Epistles" while in Bible College I had one major assignment and only 6 weeks to complete it - memorize the entire book of Philippians. For the next six weeks I listened to Philippians on cassette tape so many time that I wore out the tape.Philippians 4:11 boldly proclaimed, "

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-59176921338405372002009-06-18T16:01:00.000-07:002009-06-18T16:37:56.960-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNEYJune 18, 2009HARSH REALITIES OF HEART DISEASEDear Friends:With my browser set at 24 point sized font and constantly titling my head "just right" I'm typing this hoping I'm not typing any words that would embarrass me. I'm learning, the hard way and five months too late that heart disease truly is a systemic (multi-system) illness. Today my ophthalmologist said that the same

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-47764623452910697882009-06-05T08:11:00.000-07:002009-06-05T08:14:04.200-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNALJune 5, 2009THE PURPLE HEARTMy sister has always been the one in the family to find that "perfect" gift for her siblings. I think I can safely say that each of us has received some of our most valued gifts from her and wondered where in the world she found them. Over the years she's given me my favorite clothes (starting with my very first pair of blue jeans back in 1970), my

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-4170741401701491672009-05-31T04:29:00.000-07:002009-05-31T06:15:58.064-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNALMay 31, 2009IS EIGHT ENOUGH?Well, I'm back home after my very shortest hospital stay. Recovering from my fourth heart cath and the owner of another stent bringing the total to eight. I was a lot less sedated this time and actually had to endure the 6 hours of laying still without sleeping through it so it was a totally different experience this time. As I was waking up in

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-10677950993207300202009-05-28T01:31:00.000-07:002009-05-28T03:00:51.610-07:00

AN OPEN HEART JOURNALMAY 28, 2009 3:30 a.m.YOU NEVER KNOW...It's three-thirty in the morning and I have only been able to sleep for about three hours. The hustle and bustle in my room with blood transfusions that ran too late, chest pain, and thinking about what's coming in a few hours are keeping me awake except when I occasionally doze off with the laptop keyboard still under my fingers.In a

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-37684163549425151702009-05-27T03:59:00.000-07:002009-05-27T04:04:47.114-07:00

An Open Heart JournalMay 26, 2009Back in the "Saddle" Again...It started out as a regular visit to the cardiologist and ended up in Baylor Grapevine Hospital. But what took place in between has left me exhausted, frustrated and frankly, a little ticked.Dr. Feingold was initially concerned when I described the amount of daily chest pain I have been experiencing and that a kidney specialist had

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-79917701376721597492009-05-15T05:41:00.000-07:002009-05-15T07:46:17.771-07:00

An Open Heart JournalMay 15, 2009Someone is Watching - and ListeningThis week I received an email from a stranger. And suddenly that stranger became a friend. It seems that a few years ago someone gave this stranger a box of CDs and tapes to use to distribute to people hurting, needing encouragement and needing to know the love of the Father. Hiding in the box were three tapes of Scriptures

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-53640024358879659402009-05-09T06:29:00.000-07:002009-05-09T06:32:41.165-07:00

May 9, 2009 We're always getting ready to live, but never living. - Ralph Waldo EmersonLast night the simple task of putting sheets on my bed jolted me back to the reality that t I am living a very fragile life these days. One minute I was pulling on that fourth and final corner of the sheet and the next moment I'm sitting on the floor yelling for my roommate to get my Nitroglycerin

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-26299677988521170062009-04-20T07:44:00.000-07:002009-04-20T07:51:23.316-07:00

An Open Heart JournalLiving in the Valley of the Shadow of DeathApril 20, 2009TRAGEDY FUELS GOLFERS RECORD BIRDIE BLITZ“Anthony Kim made Masters history on Friday with a record 11 birdies in his second round and said that reading about the death of baseball player Nick Adenhart had changed his mindset.The Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher was killed in a road accident in California on Thursday

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-33240937393470384752009-04-17T03:23:00.000-07:002009-04-17T03:42:12.618-07:00

An Open Heart JournalLiving /Each Day Better Than the One BeforeApril 13, 2009I had an appointment with my cardiologist today which was very good. It was the first time for him to see me since February and he was quite amazed at how well I looked and am feeling. It felt great to go and also return home on the same day without stopping at the hospital. It is now Day 24 of being out of the

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-76729140311423472882009-04-03T18:38:00.000-07:002009-04-03T18:40:14.830-07:00

An Open Heart JournalLiving Each Day Better than the One BeforeApril 3, 2009Three Heart Cries - Three Musical AnswersMusic has been a major part of my life since I was a little girl. My Father collected records - mostly classical music with a little Herb Albert thrown in and he would quiz me to identify songs by their title, composer and dates while at the dinner table or while watching a

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-52737580882035708452009-03-27T15:58:00.001-07:002009-03-28T13:52:49.132-07:00

On January the 9th of this year I went to my 6th day of Cardiac Rehab at Baylor Hospital in Grapevine. I was really enjoying rehab and doing very well. At the time I was up to doing 12 minutes on three different exercise machines including the treadmill, bicycle and NuStepper.After getting my monitor on, having my blood pressure checked (it was 110/60 standing), and checking in with my "coach"

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-46146412358651410442009-03-23T03:03:00.000-07:002009-03-23T03:17:00.564-07:00

An Open Heart JournalLifeCare Hospital. Fort WorthDay TenMarch 15, 2009As a whole my rehab here is progressing better than I expected in just ten days. I am getting a lot of physical therapy and even though it seems elementary (kicking the ball back and forth to the PT) the reality is that it is working. I am slowly able to take more walks and have finally been allowed to walk when ever I want

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-73414912378989000622009-03-15T08:18:00.000-07:002009-03-15T15:11:19.278-07:00

An Open Heart JournalDay 9March 16, 2009DAY NINE - WANTING TO SING!This may seem like a digression but it is as much as "from my heart" as anything I've written.I remember I very first solo. I was in sixth grade and in the church youth choir and the director had gone to my mom telling her that I had a wonderful voice and she wanted to give me some voice lessons so I could sing a solo on Sunday

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-1370473264701191142009-03-14T14:00:00.000-07:002009-03-14T14:05:59.639-07:00

Until I can play catch up we are going to jump ahead to where I am now. But I promise to go back to my hand written journals and tell the stories and lessons I learned while entering this world of heart disease. In the meantime, here is the daily journal of learning how to start over.=====================================An Open Heart JournalLifeCare Hospital. Fort WorthDay OneMarch 6, 2009DAY

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20088021.post-80879672168692618792009-03-13T13:38:00.000-07:002009-03-13T14:35:46.990-07:00

On September 4, 2008 my life changed so drastically that I have not nor will I ever be the same. I started out by check my blood pressure (130/60), eat breakfast, iron my work shirt and go to work. I'm the manager of the Living Well Department at a fantastic "more-than-a-grocery-store" called Market Street. The day starts with orders, cleaning and checking on what's happened while I was out

LyghteKeeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223935327895089487noreply@blogger.com3