House Call

On an ordinary Friday afternoon I received a call from my beloved friend of nearly 50 years. In this day of email and texting, a call is welcome but not usual. When I saw her name on the ID I assumed it was about her mom who had been in frail health. The three of us. Ann, Mary and I, Our Story have a standing pact to inform each other immediately if one of our moms is doing poorly. We remember those moms when they were much younger than we are now.

It wasn’t about her Mom. Ann’s routine mammogram came back positive. Sadly, most of us will get a call like this from someone sometime. As a chaplain, I am very familiar with this news. As a friend, I felt like freaking out.

Mary called later that afternoon to invite me to set my phone alarm every day at noon so we could both pray at the same time for Ann. None of us was sure what would be next.

Surgery then ICU and now home… the calls, texts, card and emails kept flying back and forth. The phone alarm reminded us to pray at noon but we didn’t have any trouble remembering to pray the rest of the time!

Our annual weekend reunions never covered this agenda. Thankfully, although we all had known crisis and heartache as everyone does by this season of life, we had escaped any major health events. Until now.

How do you hold an old friend’s hand during a time like this when she lives 10 hours away? You make a house call. Like sweeping off the piles of your desk to the floor to clear the space, you pry open four days of your life in the middle of the week and take off. A virtual hug just won’t do any more.

I’m boarding the Amtrak this afternoon, Mary will get on at her stop and we will ride the rails until late tonight. Somehow I don’t think this will just be a long playdate like our weekend always is but I know we will find lots of time to laugh.

All test results look good so far thank God. Hopefully we’ll all be back together on Washington Island in the fall Last Year’s Reunion clinking our glasses to being on the other side of this. This time.

Do you have a friend who needs you? Call, text, email or maybe just GO.

Hope for the Best,

Tish