A basket of flowers can brighten a hospital room, but the reality of suffering still casts a significant darkness in the air. On Tuesday I spent quite a few hours sitting in the surgical waiting room at the local hospital as a family member was having surgery. The word “waiting” takes on a on a whole new meaning in the hospital. The tension in the room was palpable.
One guy in surgery had a whole cheering section in the waiting room. They were there when I came in and they were still there four and a half hours later when I left. As I was walking out the door the doctor finally came and spoke to them. The surgery had gone well and after spending an hour or so in recovery he would be moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A tumor on the brain had the family and friends rightfully concerned. There was a sigh of relief for them after the doctor’s visit.
A woman sitting in the corner all alone periodically had tears running down her face. Apparently, a cardiac catheter procedure led to some findings which resulted in an immediate trip to the operating room for her husband. Her anxiety was quite evident.
Others sitting in the room were not as easy to read. However, if you are sitting a surgical waiting room it is obviously not the best place to be hanging out for a good time.
As the time passed my I had concerns of my own. What does it mean when the surgery was an anticipated 90 minutes and it has now reached beyond two hours? Were there complications? Eventually, the doctor came out to see me and assured me that the surgery went fine. Now I simply had to wait another hour for the time in recovery. What was I to make of that when the time went to almost two hours and still I had heard nothing. Oh. They just didn’t notify me when she had been moved to a room. Thank you very much.
We are sitting at home this Thanksgiving Day with no fanfare at all. We are quietly resting and recuperating. The snow and cold temperatures make staying at home look pretty appealing. It was about 14 years ago when we were caught in a snowstorm in New Mexico on Thanksgiving Day and Interstate 25 was closed. We had a hot dog for Thanksgiving dinner that year as we were stranded for hours in between Raton and Las Vegas, New Mexico. Sitting comfortably at home with no commotion is just fine in my book.
The holidays can be stressful for many different reasons. Those who have lost loved ones during the past year may find it especially difficult to get through these days. How do you celebrate when your spouse of more than fifty years just recently died? How do you celebrate when you recently had to say good-bye to mom or dad? How do you celebrate when someone you love is battling a life-threatening disease? How do you celebrate when finances are so tight that you can’t figure out how to pay the electric bill much less buy Christmas presents or put on a Thanksgiving feast? How do you celebrate if a loved one just recently walked out on you and abandoned you? How do you celebrate if relationships are so strained within your family that you feel like it could snap at any time? These are all legitimate concerns.
If you are struggling these days, please know of my prayers for you. As we enter into the Advent season on Sunday, allow the grace of God to permeate every aspect of your life. Jesus came as a helpless infant. He knows and understands our sufferings, our cares, and our concerns. Let us turn to Him and we will find rest for our souls. Yes, His yoke is easy and His burden light.
