July 18, 2023 - A Blessing, a Curse, and an Angel

     It has been a while since I have had two blogs on the same day.  I guess it’s not like it is required reading.  Writing helps me cope.  I guess today I needed help coping.  For some reason it has been one of the more difficult days.  Thanks for reading two in one day.
     This morning’s treatment started with a blessing and a curse.  Well, maybe not a curse, but Biblically a curse is the opposite of blessing.
     We’ve noted before that everyone who has a hand in the treatment matters.  Joe is one of those people.
     As I stood in line to check in this morning, I felt a tap on my shoulder.  It was Joe as he was heading into the Cancer Center.   He greeted me and I him by name.  I was lifted by his caring heart. 
     Joe volunteers on Tuesdays at the Cancer Center.  He’s about my age and full of encouragement.  As I am heading to the treatment area the staff usually asks me if I need anything.  Joe no longer asks.   On Tuesdays he brings me two small cups of peanut butter, two small packs of graham crackers, and a pint size bottle of water.  He did this morning. What people do matters in the lives of others.
     The curse was that I had to have blood drawn when I didn’t think I would today.  I am well acquainted with the nurse because she has taken care of me several times.  She is a very good nurse.
     Somehow when she took my vitals I sensed that she wasn’t quite on her game.  I was right.  It took a stick in both arms and lots of “seeking to find” before she finally located a vein.  I could tell she felt bad about it.
     After the treatment I had both arms bandaged as I was ready to leave.  I thought about leaving on the bandages and the hospital ID bracelet for the day.   All of us need a little sympathy from time to time!
     I decided to try to be a bit more like Joe.  I took off the bandages before leaving the pod where I had been treated.  Only the nurse and I that knew I had been stuck twice. 
Whose life could I impact today with the caring love of Jesus?  Maybe what I do today will matter to someone like Joe mattered to me.  WWJD has a nice ring to it.  What would Joe do or what would Jesus do?  Take your pick.  I think they would be one and the same.
       This afternoon I got a call from an angel.   No joke.  A real angel.  I couldn’t tell if she had wings or not, but she had a sweet disposition. 
       I spoke with Angel yesterday but I didn’t catch that her name was Angel.  She is on the Stem Cell Appointment team.  If I speak with her again I might ask if Angel was her given name at birth or if it was given to her because of who she is.
       Initially I was scheduled to begin the testing phase on a Friday, which meant I would be away three days longer and that I wouldn’t be here to preach on that Sunday.
       She pulled some strings and then called me to let me know that my first test would be on a Monday instead.
       I have found in 20 years of going to Mayo Clinic that the appointment secretaries are the people who have the power.   She convinced the doctor to see me on a day when he had no other appointments.  Maybe only an angel could pull that off.
       What people do matters in the lives of others.  Angel gave me three days of life to enjoy at home before I will head to Rochester.
       I am pretty sure I didn’t make nearly that difference in someone's life today.  Maybe there will be an open door tomorrow.