Hospital Stay

Sometimes I think God must have a sense of humor. Maybe He even decides to call our bluff on occasion. If you continue to follow these blogs you will discover that the Lord’s Prayer is very dear to me and actually dominates my own meager prayer life.

As I walk through each word or phrase I find new challenges for following the example laid out there. Recently I worried and thought through the phrase, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” How does one do that? That is a task far above my pay grade. I cannot change the world into heaven on earth. Then I had a thought, well I could make my little measly corner a better place if I started noticing those people I touch each day and taking time to listen to them if possible and, if not then finding something to complement them or something nice to say to everyone I meet. So I have been giving that a try and found it exhilarating and fun.

I don’t know whether it was God saying, “Okay smarty pants you are getting a little too proud and pious in your efforts, let’s see if you can hold up in a different environment,” or maybe it was just circumstance, but I spent nine days in the hospital while they tried to drain a whole lot of fluid from behind my lung. This meant I was not bedridden with folks hovering over me all day. I was up, dressed, and able to walk around as long as I carried a box attached to a tube in my back. So the test was could I be sweet for nine boring days? Some wonderful nurses and nurses aides made it a snap.

The one thing that made the experience tolerable was the room to my door opened to face the nursing station and since I am addicted to people watching I had a better show than anything on the television, which was too far away for me to see anyway, could have provided.

I spent nice days watching a microcosm of America in action. The doctors, nurses, and nursing aids formed a marvelous picture of the value of diversity brought to us by our welcoming of people of all races to this melting pot called America. I met nurses from India, Vietnam, Ghana, England, Mexico and other Hispanic countries working side by side with those born here in perfect harmony. They were a happy team with no prejudice that I could discover and I looked hard for it.

I was taken care of by a wonderful group of nurses aides of different nationalities and customs. A dynamo from the Philippines who spread joy at every stop, a male nurse who I enjoyed talking to about life its own self, Hispanics that seemed to relish giving care and really knew their work. And one middle-aged woman from India everyone called Mom because her Indian name had one part that sounded like mom. She was a delight with a wonderful sense of humor. We laughed together all day each time I was lucky enough to be assigned to her charge.

I came away from the experience with two major thoughts.

First: I am overwhelmed by the value and power of diversity brought to us through immigration. Medical science, and every other industry in America would not be where they are without the input of knowledge and skill brought to our shores from other lands and cultures.

Second: Those who are so opposed to immigration, the Alt-Right group, the White Nationalist, and those who think America was built by White Christians for White Christians had better hope they don’t get their way on the issue. If they do so, they better hope they never get sick. They may find out what it is like to have doctors in such short supply they cannot get in to see one and the hospital closed because there is no staff. Got any sure fire home remedies?