Thanksgiving finds me in Illinois this year. It was debatable pending how call treated me these past couple of days, but Wednesday morning found my list with only one remaining inpatient which required minimal input from a surgical perspective and therefore lessened my qualms about signing out to my partner appointed for call this week. This is the first time in the past 13 years I am within easy drivable distance of immediate family. I am thankful.
I finished up my clinic, took care of errands, supplies for a Friendsgiving when I get back and a few other odds-n-ends before packing up my car and heading to Gridley. With all of the concern about delays in shipping continuing this year, I've completed most of my Christmas shopping already, hence why it took some time to pack up my car. That also makes for a rather confusing Thanksgiving as you don't typically wrap Christmas presents next to pumpkins and orange leaf decorations. But times are changing, and there's nothing wrong with being prepared. I am thankful.
I was also thankful to find one of my clinic post op patient's doing well. I removed his staples and finally gave him my blessing to make the trip down to Florida, something he'd been asking for since before the surgery. This particular case is one that will stay with me for awhile, for a rather particular reason. It was a rather straightforward case, but with potential difficulty, and none of my partners or the techs were going to be available to assist me, so our PA had faithfully gowned up and stood opposite me at the operating room table. She had been nervous, but did a great job and thankfully the case went well. The recovery went even better. Don't tell the patient this, but I actually kept him in the hospital an extra day, for his own safety. See, he was doing so well, I didn't trust that if I let him go home he'd continue to take it easy, but start to try to pack up his RV. Hence his perpetual question of when he can go to Florida? It was during one of my visits to the patient's room that his wife and one of his daughters had been present. Conversation was typical concerning expectations and recommendations concerning the future. At one point, I discerned their desire to have contact information, and handed them one of my business cards. What surprised me was the reaction that act received. Our conversation actually had to stop as the wife and daughter took the card and could not focus back on our exchange until they had found a sure and safe place to keep that little piece of paper. I kept my poker face, but truthfully the reaction made me a bit uncomfortable. As fun as it was to see my name on a business card for the first time a few months ago, this was the one and only time I've actually handed it out. It makes me ask, what is my business, and why is it important to people?
To further illustrate my internal debate, the above exchange coincided with something I read in a book about Mother Teresa. She had been given a business card once, loved the idea so much that she had her own business cards made.
The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.
Her name wasn't on her business card, just her business was. The business of Jesus. What is my business, and why is it important to people? What should my business card actually say? "I love you, and Jesus loves you" or "John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And then this leads to my next question, would I ever have the nerve to not follow socially acceptable norms and actually use such a business card? That family has no idea what kind of internal conversation/debate they sparked within me, but we usually never do know our effect on others. Hence why we should always try to be about the business of Jesus!
Much Love, and Happy Thanksgiving!
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