There was my loved one resting on an ER bed awaiting
the final decision from the treating physician. With the partition curtain
missing, it was hard to try to rest and relax as we heard commotions, moaning,
beeping alarms and some voices asking for nurses’ help. I couldn’t help but
wonder if there were many trauma cases that demanded immediate attention from
the nursing staff as each came in and competed with what already was chaotic
inside.
How could my loved one relax? The hunger for privacy
was impossible from any angle I looked, whether we were the ones on the hallway
beds or inside that room. I tried to reassure. It was still better that we were
inside the room.
A concerned nurse who took the blood work at the wee hours came in all
of a sudden before going home as their change of shift occurred. She offered a
warm blanket and to dim the bright light on the ceiling. We immediately thanked
her for going out of her way to offer kindness and empathy. If it meant to have
some peace and quiet just by closing eyes and dimming the lights, so be it. It
was a simple offer but a much needed intervention that came from an
overly-worked nurse who, we saw moments before going to assigned bed, how she remained kind and compassionate when
patients were transferred to her care.
What discernment to a body who bared all
to needle sticks, vital signs and other probing instruments! A body who I could
tell was ready to surrender to sleep but was never able to because of the storm
he was in. Yet, through all that, remained calm, patient, never complaining but
instead, tried to ask questions to know more about what was going on.
A lot of “Why’s”. Doubts. Fears.
Don’t
we all go through that whether the circumstances happen all of a sudden or not?
During the xray and blood draws, I was told to go
outside to the lobby and wait to be called. As I sat with perhaps, three more
patients seeking treatments, I saw their worried look on their faces. I wanted
to worry myself, too, as I sat on the cold chair and stared on the tv mounted
on the wall, without understanding what was being shown. Fear was knocking on
my heart’s door but something was stopping it. Each time.
Then… alive Words started flashing in front of me that
was hard not to be heard than that tv on the wall:
“Don't worry about
anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him
with a thankful heart. 7 And God's
peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds
safe in union with Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 (GNT)
I heard my name being called by an
apologetic nurse who thanked me for being patient and understanding. I thanked
her instead. I understood the busyness because I was a nurse and was there
before. I was in that world where a nurse had a million things to do for
several patients at one given time.
“We’re
waiting for a bed so your loved one could still be monitored.”
My heart didn’t leap for worries nor
fears anymore. I knew that in an hour I waited alone in the lobby in one
corner, there was my Refuge Who met me while facing that storm. He surely didn’t
stop the storm. But through the heavy downpours and gusty winds, He did calm my
heart and that of my loved one’s. All the tests came back normal and that alone
was enough for us to rejoice despite that ordeal. The storm didn’t damage us.
We came out stronger and went home armed with more knowledge. Thanks be to God,
our only Savior.
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. - Swedish Proverb
Therefore
do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for
itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. - Matthew 6:34
