A Second Chance at Healing
Amy (not her real name) was in our new employee orientation class. When we told the group what we did, she said she was a detail technician. I didn’t even know we had detail techs. Her job is to clean up after me. When we cover the ambulance in mud, she washes it. When we leave fast-food garbage on the floor, she cleans it up. My mother doesn’t work here, but Amy does and I’m…
The Guitar Player
Tom (not his real name) was a guitar player. Whether or not he’ll play again remains to be seen. I found him in the emergency room screaming in pain. My new friend is a guitar picker by night and works a manufacturing job by day. He was helping to move a large sheet of Plexiglas several inches thick, weighing close to 500 pounds, when it crashed to the ground on top of his fingers. The…
The Chaplain and The Medic
Early one morning, I saw a middle-aged hospital chaplain walking through a deserted hospital corridor. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him. His arm was in a sling. I walked toward him and stretched out my hand. “I see I might be too late.” His right arm was in a sling and he carried a small pile of books in his left hand. We shook hands awkwardly. “I was going to ask if…
The Kirby Salesman
At 19 years old, Jonathon was living out his dream of being a professional goalie. That dream came to a screeching halt when a slap shot broke his collar bone. Thinking it was just bruised, he stayed in the game. When the bone finally broke completely in two, it severed both muscle and tendon and left his shoulder a surgical mess. In the operating room, the surgeons retrieved and re-attach the severed sinew but Jonathon’s…
2 For 1 Night at Chili’s
My wife and I have a tradition that we enjoy. After four years of marriage, we still go on dates. Last night, we drove to Saguaro Lake. On the drive out to the lake, we talked. Afterward, we went to Chili’s restaurant for an appetizer. The food was good, the conversation was light and the company was beautiful. As we made our way to the exit, I noticed that the hostess was limping slightly. So…