My name is Barb Cole, a radio talk show host of a previous radio broadcast and the brainchild behind this podcast series as well as the host with the upfront “Call It Like It Is” personality of the podcast “Life and Wisdom Speaks”. This podcast and its storyline came to me during the time while I was at home for days so sick…. barely able to take care of myself and too ill to call to let anyone know that I was that ill.  During this time my life was moving through my mind …. God showed me how I had been so busy with what I thought was most important in my life of being so busy doing this and doing that like most of us do in our lives.  But it was like a fast-moving train in my mind while it felt like I had slept for 40 days and 40 nights…. not able to wake up from the place that I had gone to while I was extremely ill with Covid-19.  God and I had conversations to the degree that it seemed like I was not of this world.  I felt like a young child that was walking through tall grass while asking God what my life was all about….and why am I at this peaceful place where there is no one here but you and me.  And God said to me… “I’m not here with you to take you with me but this is what I have done to be able to slow you down to allow you to know what I need for you to do.  And that is for you to share what Life and the Wisdom you have gained along the way to the world with others as others share with you and the world.  You will get to know me now while you continue to learn and grow in life.  God said to me….”You Knew of Me…..but now…. You Will Know Me”. 

 After a week of being so sick and home alone…. this particular Sunday morning around 3 am… God woke me up and I sat straight up on the side of my bed in the dark….and God said it’s time to call the paramedics. I called 911 as I could barely talk and told them that I needed paramedics to come to my home as I was very ill. They asked if I could get to the door to unlock it for them.  I gathered up enough strength to walk to the living room to unlock the front door and laid back down while 911 stayed on the phone with me. The paramedics came quickly, immediately checked me, and rolled me out to take me to the hospital, and while riding in the back of the ambulance…. they shared with me that I was barely breathing, and I started to cry. I thanked them for taking care of me as I knew that they were afraid to take care of people because of Covid-19. I was immediately taken to ICU….down that long hallway after it was determined that I had severe Covid-19.  I had heard that many people did not make it after dealing with Covid-19 like I was.  I had double pneumonia…. oxygen level was very low and my breathing was not good at all. But I realized that God was there with me and never left my side…. giving me the strength to fight to live.  My daughter and son called the hospital often to stay updated on my care.  My son came to my window & sat out on the window ledge in the hot sun while I was in ICU to be close to his Mom & for support.  After a few weeks in ICU… I was able to go home, and nobody wanted to deal with someone that had covid….no one but my son who picked me up from the hospital and he moved in to take care of me while I was still on oxygen & still very weak. 

As I continued to recuperate… I still slept a lot but during this time… God talked to me about what he wanted me to do.  I thought that it was to just write…so I would have a pad in my bed to take notes the next morning of our conversation from my deep sleep. This went on for weeks as I wrote and got better. Then I had a setback….and had to use a wheelchair because I had issues with my spine from Covid-19.

I was still very determined to keep working at what God had for me to do even though I could not sit up for very long. I was on social media one day and found a longtime friend’s daughter and I reached out to her and asked about her Mom. My longtime friend and I connected and talked for hours as we hadn’t talked to each other in probably 15+ years as life took us both on our own individual life journey.  And after talking on the phone for over an hour or two with so much excitement and intense conversation……it hit me that I needed to do a podcast and my friend, LadyT inspired me because at that moment… I realized that our stories and experiences are all about Life and Wisdom along the way as we continue to evolve, learn, and grow in LIFE!

I hope that you will enjoy what we will share on this podcast series as we talk about LIFE, FAMILY, CHILDREN, PEOPLE, PARENTING, and whatever comes to MIND so you can laugh and have fun with us as we kick around some real live flavor in our podcast….”OLD SCHOOL…NEW SCHOOL” and into the NOW.  We will have special guests on some of our episodes so that you can get different perspectives from others.

Barb Cole, Founder & Host of Life and Wisdom Speaks Podcast “L.A.W.S. of LIFE”