A Gracious Place

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Into Mercy

You know those friends that seem to do just what you need when you need it? My friend Ellen did that for me the other week. I confided in her over the phone while we were making plans to get together that I had been feeling anxious lately. When I went to pick her up she hopped in my car with a worship CD that she said thought might help me. Boy, was she right! That day I listened to it twice as I was crocheting (yes, I am a budding crochet-er). It brought me so much solace. I think I have listened to it at least once a day for the past two weeks…tee hee! So I was thinking I shouldn’t keep this great CD a secret, it may be a comfort to some of our blog friends out there. It is by a little-known artist, Amanda Lacewell and the title is “Into Mercy”. I don’t think you can find it in bookstores, but I did find it on the internet here. Here is a little “taste” of one of the songs:

A Child of God

Father you’re all I need
My soul’s sufficiency
My strength when I am weak
The love that carries me
You’re arms enfold me
Till I am only
A child of God

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Fumbling Phlebotomist

Going for my blood test Monday was quite the fiasco! As I leave from work during my lunch break (sixty minutes) I realize that I need a dollar for parking. So I think well I will just stop off at the ATM and get some cash, but as I get to the last screen it says there will a be a two dollar charge and a possible charge from my bank. Well what’s this charge from my bank all about…I already had a problem with being charged two dollars to get one dollar. So I ask the security guard at the desk on my way out if he knows of a Bank of America near by. I waste 6 minutes waiting for him to look it up and then I decide this is way too complicated and taking too long- I will just have to go and hope the parking guy accepts debit cards…or plead for mercy promising to pay double next time. As I am driving to the hospital I realize that the requisition form for the lab work is in my car…which DAN has today! No problem, he’s at home studying and I can get a dollar from him while I am at it. I get home and Dan is not there, the car is not there! Eeek…think, think, think…I decide I just better high tail it to the hospital so I can stop by my doc and get a new form and then get to the lab, no time to run inside and dig through our Jar-O-Change looking for a dollar. So I finally get to the hospital and RUN inside because I remember that if I am out in 15 minutes I won’t have to pay anything! Thankfully my doc’s office is right beside the lab. Mary prints me off another form and I fly into the lab. Praise the Lord! There is no WAIT! I jump in the seat, roll up my sleeve and mentally prepare as the phlebotomist makes a copy of my insurance card. She drops the copy and fumbles with the card and apologetically says, “I’m all thumbs today”. I try to look as calm as possible and smile sweetly like I didn’t notice what she said, but inside I am thinking “WHAT! You have got to be kidding me! You are going to stick me with a needle and you are ‘all thumbs today’!” That has to be the number one worst thing a phlebotomist can say…except maybe, "Can you show me where your vein is? My eyesight is not so good." As she’s collecting my blood I watch the clock counting down my fifteen minutes. She does surprisingly well with all of her thumbs. It is over quickly and is relatively painless. I thank her politely and make a mad dash out of there. Noticing three people now in the waiting room, I’m glad I ran! Down the elevator and out the door, I fear the guy in front of me handing in his parking ticket is asking for directions. “Come ooooon!!! Time is money!” As I hand my parking ticket to the parking girl, I look at the clock- in my estimation it’s been 13 minutes and 54 seconds. She says “Thank you. Have a nice day!” And I drive off before she has a chance to change her mind, getting back to work with a few minutes to spare.