My New Year’s Resolutions aren’t quite as concrete as some
peoples, but judging by how I spent the first full day of 2013, that’s just as
well. There are many things I hope to do
and accomplish this year, but not one of them is more important or stronger
than the desire God’s give me to discern and live out the His will.
Putting God at
the center and praying that He will plant His will in my heart and make it my
deepest desire and most fervent longing is pretty much the extent of my
planning for the year until I get specifics from the Big Guy.
God's Will, Not Mine
If I’d had my
first day of the new year all planned out, I might not have been there for
someone who needed a friend. After going
to Mass on The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I was listening to my
voicemail messages. I’d received one
from someone asking me to take her to Patient First. She sounded so awful I couldn’t recognize her
voice, so I called back the number and asked who it was. (As I’ve learned from experience, if someone
calls and is having trouble breathing, it’s best not to wait to get them proper
medical attention. Acting immediately
when my dad called saying he was having trouble breathing saved his
life once.)
On Monday, I
ended up spending the afternoon running errands, getting food and things for
the friend while she was at Patient First. After hearing what she’d been told and
what had been prescribed, I agreed we should go to the ER right away. We spent the rest of the afternoon and
evening in the St. Mary’s Emergency Room.
A Stroll Down Emergency Lane
As we were
driving over there, it dawned on me that it was exactly 21 years ago on
New Year’s when my nana, one of my favorite people in the world, went into
that very same hospital. My dad’s mom had come to
stay with us for Christmas and New Year’s.
My dad, Nana, and I stayed up late the night before watching Home Alone.
The next morning,
Nana was rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital in an ambulance. Several family members came and went with our
house as the home base that month. My
mom and I went several evenings to visit Nana in ICU. I wasn’t technically old enough to be in
there at the time, but I looked old enough, so my parents had gotten away with
sneaking me in for the past couple ICU visits Nana had miraculously made it
through. My nana remained in the
hospital for the month of January before she went to her eternal resting place.
Another Not-So-Fun Flashback
My friend was
having trouble breathing after walking just a few steps which of course
reminded me of how hard it was for my dad to breathe in the last few years of
his life. Actually, a few of the
medicines that they gave her in the ER were the exact same ones my dad had
taken on a regular basis in an attempt to open up his lungs, calm his nerves, and
allow him to function. The intense side
effects of the drugs worried me, but they also opened my eyes to another aspect
of the horror my father must have lived, having to take those meds several times a day for the last few years of his life.
The Good News
Fortunately, my friend
was able to go home that evening, was given medicines that helped her breathe
and get over this short-term difficulty.
I didn’t go to bed New Year’s Eve or wake up New Year’s Day with a trip
to the doctor or emergency room in mind, but when that’s what a friend needed,
someone who doesn’t like to go to doctors or hospitals, in part because she
doesn’t have health insurance, then my idea of the day changed
immediately.
My friend’s sense
of humor and gratitude even in the midst of feeling awful, the incredibly
compassionate and caring nurse who took care of her, the huge prints all over
of butterflies (a sign of hope for me for many reasons), and the way a crisis
gets me to focus on who is right before me were all powerful reminders that God
has, can, and will work through many circumstances and situations we don’t plan
on, wouldn’t ask for, and may not understand this side of Heaven.
