3 Little Words and a Life Poured Out

Saturday I was sitting in the ER with my Mom and Dad. . . Waiting as usual whenever you go to the ER. Mom hasn't felt well for months, and we've taken her to doctors with no definite reason for the symptoms she was experiencing. I worked in a doctors office for 9 years, and although it's not like staying in a Holiday Inn Express, which makes you an expert on everything, I did come away with the awareness that as people get older and their health concerns increase, so does the amount of time they have to obsess about those concerns. Needless to say, I've tempered my anxiety so I don't become overly concerned until I am certain there is a need to be overly concerned. Friday evening, I had finally come to that point. Honestly as I sat there I expected this to be a dead end just like most of the other visits. When the doctor walked in and begin to speak I could tell by his demeanor, we were not going to get good news. There was sadness in his eyes as he said the four words you never want to hear "You have a mass". I tried to hold myself together as Mom got dressed. Mom and Dad didn't seemed fazed, although I'm not sure they realize the implications of a 9cm mass on the pancreas. On the way home I thought about the changes that were coming and how I could best prepare myself and my parents for those changes. My first thought was I needed make sure Mom knew how much I loved her. The four little words from the doctor, tore our world apart, but nothing puts things back in order like the three words "I LOVE YOU". Regardless of the outcome, I know she's going to be okay. She has the blessed assurance of having lived a life poured out.