I Never Cease to Be Amazed

Being that Christmas and New Year's are cutting short the next two weeks, I decided that I would gather as much of my records as I could and take them down to the Proton Center so that they would have them when they were ready. (We are looking in to Proton Therapy as an alternative to standard radiation.) So I spent Friday morning driving around picking up medical records.

As I was driving, I was conversing with God. "I don't feel the joy of Christmas, God. There is this thing of death inside of me. It has gotten me down. I want to celebrate life . . ."

And God reminded me, "Christmas is all about LIFE. It is about the my Son, coming to life on earth. But even more than that, it is about the eternal life that you have through Him. So there is no death that can separate you from ME. Can you celebrate that?"

"Yes, I definitely can."

But, it gets even better.

After everything was together, I drove down to the Houston Medical Center to deliver them to the Proton Center. Now, I will preface this by saying, I was not TOLD to bring my records. The only contact I had had yet was to leave a message. But I felt a sense of urgency to deliver these things so that they would have my record WHEN THEY NEEDED THEM. Rather than waiting to be asked, mailing them, waiting for them to be delivered, etc.

We had initially looked into MD Anderson for treatment, so I knew basically what they would need anyway. Why not save some time?

So I get there, speak to the receptionist and tell her I have some things for the nurse with whom I had left the message. The receptionist called the nurse, who didn't know who I was, but knew I didn't have an appointment and was not pleased.

She asked to speak to me on the phone and she told me, "This is just not the way we do things. We don't accept walk-ins. I am with a patient. Give me five minutes and I will be out to see you."

Again, I will interject that I didn't want an "appointment" I only wanted to drop off documents.

So I go sit down and wait. And I'm praying, "God, I don't want to make her mad. She is going to be responsible for getting me in to this place. Please help me here."

As soon as she walked out, I recognized her. I knew her from somewhere. She started explaining to me again how this was not how they handled things.

I interrupted her, "Did you go to (nursing school)?"

She looked at me in shock. "Are you MOLLY?!?"

As it turns out, we were in nursing school together.

Everything turned at that point. She took me into a room and took down all my information. She looked over all the documents I had with me. We worked on getting the things I did not have with me. And she made an appointment for me to come and be seen by the doctor ON MONDAY. She even had the sweetest registration person come and get me registered so that I don't have to come an hour early on Monday.

Again, all I wanted to do was drop off documents.

God led me there yesterday. He had a plan. My classmate is on vacation next week, so I never would have seen her then.

At one point, while I was waiting, she encouraged me to go out to the foyer and see the kids getting their gifts. The children who are being treated at the Proton Center were receiving Christmas gifts and they were having a party. I stood there and watched children from infants to aged ten or so happily opening presents. And I was SO THANKFUL that it is me fighting this battle and not one of my children.

Yes, I can celebrate life this Christmas. For what it is, it is mine and God is still with me in it.