Thoughts from your President

My husband’s face froze, and his eyes gave me a glassy stare. Moments before, we had been sitting on the couch together talking. It was ten minutes to eight on Saturday morning.

This is a strange reaction to my question. Is he angry?

His lips formed into the shape of an ‘o’ and then twisted to the left as his face, arms, and entire body began to shake.

“Ray! Ray! Are you okay?”

Foam began to ooze from his mouth.

His body slid toward the edge of the couch, and I realized he might fall into the floor.

“Paul, I need help!” I screamed. I darted around the corner and up the stairs to my twenty-two-year-old son’s bedroom, which sat at the top of the stairs. “Your father is having a seizure.”

“I’m coming!” Paul responded. Alarm tinged his voice. I heard a thump as he hopped out of bed.

I ran back down the stairs to find my husband half-on and half-off the couch still shaking all over. My son followed me down the stairs. Once we reached the living room, he moved the oval coffee table away from the couch and eased his father’s bulky frame into the floor.

Ray’s skin was pale and his breathing labored as we turned him onto his side. My son grabbed two pillows to put under his head. The seizure had stopped, but his eyes rolled around drunkenly.

“Stay with him while I call the doctor,” I said. Stepping into the next room, I placed a quick call to our doctor and a few moments later called 911.

Soon EMTs filled my living room and three emergency vehicles, lights flashing, stood in front of my house.

Ray regained consciousness within thirty minutes or so. He was confused and almost defiant. I convinced him to walk outside onto the porch, but when he saw the flashing lights, he looked suspicious and would go no further. The EMTs had to lift him onto the stretcher so they could convey him to the hospital.


About three hours later, a spinal tap revealed protein and white blood cells. “Your husband has viral encephalitis,” the doctor said. “He will have to have IV antibiotics and stay in the hospital for several days.”

As the day wore on, Ray became less and less lucid. He asked the same questions over and over. By the time the orderly moved us to his hospital room, he didn’t know where he was or who was president. On Sunday he sank into a lethargic sleep.

Fortunately, the doctors isolated the virus right away and began proper treatment. Ray’s body responded rapidly to the medication, and his ability to grapple with words returned a little each day. At present he is continuing to improve but will have therapy to restore his memory for names.

My husband’s experience reminds me of Proverbs 27:1: “You do not know what a day may bring forth.” Some days slip by with little hardship—others suddenly deliver wrenching heartache. Recently a number of CAG officers experienced adversity as well. I’m not the only one who missed the last meeting. Both our vice president and secretary couldn’t come due to family emergencies.

So what about Christian Authors Guild? Can we continue to operate if over half of our board is out of touch? I Peter 5: 9 the apostle tells us to remember we have an enemy: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” God instructs us further in the next verse: “but resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

We started off the year attempting to improve our writing so we can present a professional message to a hurting world. I’d say we are doing the right thing in the right way. Let’s keep going forward and pray for God’s blessing as we overcome the obstacles thrown in our way. This task is vital, and we must not let opposition stop us.

Cynthia L. Simmons
President