In the Flesh...

Every time I hear ICU, I think I see you, too. Today was Dad’s (father-in-law) heart surgery (see In God We Trust…). It went remarkably well. God was definitely watching over us all today. He came through the surgery like a super-hero, undeniably doing better than expected. We arrived at the hospital around 5:30 am and visited with Dad as long as we could before he had to go on back.

And, that, my friends, is where the real fun began. There is never a shortage of senior citizens that stare. I know they mean no harm, but I absolutely hate being stared at. I always wonder what’s going through their minds as they do this.

While explaining to us that the grandbabies could not come into the ICU, we had a nurse remind us that the sickest people in the city are in ICU. That’s a startling revelation. I was just grateful that as we went back to visit Dad we didn’t have to worry about putting on the paper gowns, masks, and gloves.

At first, I figured that I would keep myself occupied while playing the waiting game by reading a book, but those hopes were quickly diminished when all of the chit-chat among the different families waiting set in. There was chatter about how so-and-so was doing, what everyone was going to have for lunch, and talk at one point or another about just about every subject known to man. All of those voices in my head deterred my hopes of figuring out how to find God’s purpose for my life, which was the subject of the Debbie Macomber book I was attempting to read.

There are always at least two people in each family that don’t get along remarkably well. The tension is always a challenge, but playing Switzerland has its advantages. I shall leave it at that.

The day lasted until about 10 pm, which was about the end of the last visitation. It was the longest day ever, but I wouldn’t have chosen to be anywhere else. There is something heartwarming about having the opportunity to be there for your family.

Things funner than the ICU waiting room:

1. Plucking my eyebrows
2. Pilates
3. Grocery day
4. Cleaning the cat’s litter box
5. Avoiding telemarketers
6. Being stuck behind a truck going 40 in a 60

Bright side of the ICU waiting room:

1. Loving on that beautiful niece of mine
2. Convincing Justin that we were qualified to babysit our niece for an hour
3. The free coffee
4. Getting in the wrong elevator and riding down to the basement…scary but fun!
5. Having the opportunity to be there for folks who needed me
6. Being there to keep the peace ;)

Now, I have to say that the docs and nurses treated all of us superbly well; the nurses even let us break a couple rules…shhh. The pros did a great job of keeping us informed about Dad’s progress. The waiting was really not that bad with all of the dysfunctional entertainment going on. I, for one, enjoy the excitement of knowing things will always be interesting in our family. Dad is still doing well and on track for a quick, complete recovery! Praise be to God!

Strong faith in God is definitely my best advice for stress-relief…