"And who is my neighbor?": Good Samaritans among us - Part 1

Wait! You waited for the scans to be read, so you could call me and tell me all is well?

Wait! You lifted a huge, metal safe and risked injury to your back by turning it upside down, so you could reach deep inside it and grab my purse? 

Who are these people? Honestly, I don't know. The first is a radiologic technologist, and the second is a UTA Trax employee. Strangers to me, really.

Yet both showed me what grace looks like. A friend posted a meme recently that pointed out how when the lawyer asked Jesus "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus told the well-known story of "The Good Samaritan." In it, Jesus does not mention the Samaritan praying for the injured man. He does not mention him preaching to the man or quoting scripture, or taking him to church. (Not to imply that these aren't good options; I'm sure Jesus would approve of all of them.) But in this story, the Samaritan stops and helps the man, tends to his wounds, finds him a safe place to stay with food to eat, and pays for it, even! The Samaritan walks the path of eternal life, rather than just talking about it.

And so it was with these two strangers.

Anyone who knows me well, is familiar with my crazy anxiety about terminal illness. So imagine how terrifying it is each year, when I have to do my annual exam, with its various scans and blood draws! One year, I worked myself into such a fit that my blood pressure, usually lower than average, rose to 180/70! Another time, I made myself so sick with worry while waiting for test results that I lost 6 lbs. Ain't anxiety grand?

The time for my yearly check-up crept up quickly. "Didn't I JUST do all this?" I asked my tribe (aka Shulamith, Eli, and Amanda). "Yes!" they all agreed. "It cannot be time to go through this again." But it was. So I braved up, as I do every year, and scheduled the appointments. When I arrived for my mammogram, I was noticeably anxious, and the tech asked me if I was okay. I briefly explained my stupid anxiety disorder; she responded with kindness, care, and zero judgment. 

"Okay, let's gets this done, so you can get out of here." She was careful and precise in her work, making sure she didn't need to repeat any of the scans, and it was over in about 10 minutes.

"We're done! Now you can relax."

"Oh I won't relax until that letter comes in the mail, telling me everything is fine."

She thought for a moment and then explained, "The scans will be read today, and they will call you within two days if anything concerning shows up. So if you haven't received a call by the end of the day Thursday, you can stop worrying."

"Oh, that helps so much, thank you! I only have to feel like this for two days, rather than a whole week! You are amazing."

And with that, I quickly dressed and got the hell out of there because I hate those places so much! 

....but the story doesn't end there.

Late that afternoon, I received a call from an unknown number. I don't usually answer those, but for some reason I did. 

"Hi, this is Corrine from Lone Peak. I waited until your scans were read, so I could call you. I didn't want you to be sick or not sleep, even for two days. The scans are back, and everything is perfectly normal. Come back in a year."

Flooded with emotion, I could barely speak. I babbled something unintelligible and hung up. I mean who does this? Who offers this kind of care, so far beyond her job responsibilities, for a stranger!? Someone who walks the path of discipleship. Someone who loves like Jesus. A Good Samaritan among us. 

Because I know readers prefer shorter posts, I'll stop, but again, the story doesn't end there. There's still the UTA Trax guy. Stay tuned for Part 2....