Friday, April 24, 2009

Relief

We all feel sympathy when a friend or family member is experiencing the anxiety of waiting for the results from a medical procedure. The kind of news that could irreversibly change their lives. Each of us has been through that. Some more than once. You pray. Hope. Wish. All are sincere. You include each person this news will touch.

And then when it is yourself or your spouse or your child that is waiting for that information the perspective is personal. Real. The prayers take on a different persona. Less concept, more specific. Less effusive, more desperate. There is no buffer of space or time. And the worst aspect? You can't do a thing. Nothing. All you can do is answer the call when the phone rings.

Our family just lived with and through this situation. The final report was the best type a patient wants to hear. The doctor, in essence, presses the gauge on top of the pressure cooker with the "B-word" letting out the steam. Everyone sighs with relief and renews their vow to take advantage of each day we have here together. Love and laugh. Open their eyes and ears to opportunity. Try new things. Release old grudges. Don't put off until tomorrow those items on your TO-DO list. Start now.

So don't wait. That is the bottom line. Smile. Explore. Absorb. Say "please" and "thank you". Let the Lord know each and every day that you accept His blessings with an open heart.