Crazy Days

October 29, 2013

Dear Readers,

Maybe it's just me, but the older I get the faster the days and years go by.  I am trying my best to savor each day filling them with good thoughts and doing what I can to make the world a better place. Yesterday was one of those crazy days that involved one crisis after another.

I knew my neighbor was having major back surgery yesterday but I didn't expect a call at 8 bells asking if I would accompany her and her husband to the hospital.  She was in a panic ... their cat had gotten really sick during the night, the dog (a rescue with anxiety issues) was upset, her husband was having serious symptoms of blood clots, and they needed some help.  She took the cat and dog to the vet and I followed them to the hospital in Waco.  The plan was that as soon as Beverly's surgery started, Don would head to the ER or his doctor's office and I would stay in the waiting room to keep track of Beverly while she was in surgery.

Beverly had shared with me a few days ago that she had had an uneasy feeling about her surgery and wondered if "the universe" was telling her not to go through with it.  I had been praying that the Lord would either ease her anxiety OR show her that her gut instincts were right.  Wellll, when we got to the hospital, the nurse showed her to a room where she got undressed and answered preliminary questions.  They told her that she would be taken to a holding room at noon and her surgery would begin at 1.  The nurse left and time began to pass.  Noon came ... no activity.  A few minutes before 1, Beverly's husband went to the nurses station to see what the hold-up was.  He came back with a disgusted look on his face.  Beverly's doctor was in surgery with another patient and had put in another patient before her. Her surgery was scheduled for between 5 and 6.  She was in a cold room, sitting in a cold recliner, and hadn't even been offered a warm blanket to keep her comfortable.

Beverly asked to talk to the nurse herself to see what had happened ... no nurse came.  All of a sudden, she said, "The universe has been telling me that I wasn't to do this and I am not going to go through with this."  She got up, put her clothes back on and we headed to the nurses station.  She politely explained why she was upset and asked to sign release papers. The odd thing about all this was the impersonal treatment she received.  If I hadn't been there with her, I would have found it hard to believe that a hospital and doctor would behave in this manner.

The day got even crazier ~ Don's doctor wasn't in but he had blood tests and vitals taken and told to go back today.  Iggy the cat was in pain and on death's door ~ they had to make the decision to put him to sleep. Taffy was so restless and it took them all of last night to get her calmed down.

I thank God for my training as a Stephen's Minister and my faith in a God who has everything under control when all seems to be going bonkers.  I can't explain why some things happen the way they do yet I can accept that all things work to the good off those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)  I applaud my friend for standing up for herself when she was being treated so poorly.  Like Ana (in my last blog), Beverly claimed her right to be treated with respect.

We all have crazy days when everything seems to be going wrong.  The car won't start, the water heater leaks all over, we get ill, our hair droops when we need to look nice, our favorite pair of jeans no longer zips, someone tells stories that aren't true about us, we get news of a dear one's death ... the list goes on and on.  Sometimes  the crazy days seem to go on and on into weeks and months.  We feel like we are at our wit's end and if one more thing happens we will break into a million pieces.

Somehow we manage to make it through those times appreciating the good times even more.  I don't know about you but in times of craziness, I choose to think about the times of feasting rather than the famine. Happiness IS A CHOICE.  I know from experience that after the biggest storms, the rainbows are the most intensely beautiful.  That has always been my message to the world.  We can't always control what happens; however, we do have control over our reactions.

Today is a new day ... a new slate.  I am grateful that I have one more day to celebrate life.  I have one more moment to love my fellow travelers on this earth and I have one more moment to make a difference no matter how small.

Remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

Miss Dottie

PS  "The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow.  Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed." ~Eminem