This is the kind of thing you only hear about happening to other people

My family and I were side-swiped by a HUGE blessing on Friday.

The morning started out normally, until I read my mom's text that said, "Ash, call me as soon as you get up. I have a problem I need advice for." I immediately thought, "this can't be good." I mean, what does my mom need advice from her daughter for? She's the one with all the wisdom, right?

So, I called her right away and she said there was something wrong with her eye. A floaty thing in her left eye that darted back and forth when she turned her head. And she'd been seeing the floaty thing for about a day. Uh. Oh. A floater? That could be really bad news. When I had my Lasik surgery back in April, the doctor told me to call immediately if I ever saw any floaters because they can be a sign of retinal detachment. Which, hello! That can lead to BLINDNESS!

Why is she seeing a floater dart around in her eye, you ask? Well, she's had a monstrously bad sinus infection-slash-bronchitis for about a week now. And apparently she's been coughing hard enough to tear a hole in her retina! Yikes!

Naturally, when she asked me to call my eye doctor and see if they could fit her in, I got right to it. The doctor's office agreed to work her in at 1:30 pm and I breathed a sigh of relief that she'd be seen that day. When I got there, my parents were already in the exam room with the doc and I came in on the tail-end of a conversation which contained the words, "Laser surgery...today...can not wait... must be done today...you came in early enough..." You get my drift? I think the doctor was adamant that it be taken care of that day, don't you? Oh, and in case you think I'm callus enough to show up late for such an important appointment, just know that my dad misunderstood the time I told them and my parents got there like 30 minutes early.

So, the doc told her assistant to call the local state hospital's eye clinic and let them know that my mom was coming right over and needed to be seen ASAP. Except that nobody was answering the telephone at the state hospital's eye clinic. Maybe they were all out to lunch. Or maybe they decided to start the weekend a little early. It was 2 pm on a Friday after all. Whatever the case was, the doctor eventually found out that the retinal specialist wouldn't even be there until Wednesday, which would clearly be too late. You know, seeing how my mom had a hole in her retina and all.

We ended up going right down the street to a privately practicing retinal specialist's office. And by private practice, I mean expensive. Don't you love the medical field's code words? Anyway, we waited for what seemed like forever but really wasn't, only to find out that Mama did need laser surgery today. Then, we waited another forever while I tried to remember that they were fitting us in and all the other people there already had appointments. To make matters worse, there were absolutely NO magazines in any of the waiting rooms. Just some decorative books that looked like they came from the thrift store. But then, if you're there to see a retinal specialist, I guess you can't really read a magazine, huh? And I'm sure the doctor doesn't mind saving a penny or two on magazine subscriptions.

Swerving back from the sidetrack...the actual laser procedure took about 15-20 minutes and Mama said it just felt like somebody was thumping her lightly in the eye. Gotta love those numbing drops! We walked up to the front desk to check out and my Dad asked the dreaded question, "So will y'all send us a bill?" And do you know what that receptionist said?

"There will be no charge today, sir."

What?!?! No charge? You mean, as in, we don't have to pay for the laser that just karate-kicked the hole in my mom's retina? For real?! Praise the Lord!!

Yes, it's true. We didn't have to pay a dime for that saint of a doctor's time and service. Apparently, he doesn't go to Mexico or overseas on mission trips and chooses instead to do his good deeds right here in our town. That came straight out of the receptionist's lips, y'all. And if I wasn't afraid of wackos knowing exactly where I live, I'd shout that retinal specialist's name all over this blog. Suffice it to say that, Dr. B, you are the man!!

So, next time you're questioning whether or not human kindness is just a fondly recalled myth, remember our story. And remember that even though they don't get front-page status very often, many followers of Jesus are still out there just trying to be His hands and feet in a really mean, uncaring world.

"He who is generous will be blessed..." Proverbs 22:9a