Worth the Wait

There would be a lot less conflict in the world if people spent more time in the waiting rooms at Children's Hospitals.  People in the middle of lawsuits, mergers, senate votes or even arguments over a pair of jeans should sit for 30 minutes amongst parents waiting for their children to get out of surgery.  There is a lot to learn.

Today Emily had her 4th Laser Treatment for her facial birthmark.  She did amazingly well, even though her surgery was 2 hours delayed because of a complications on the surgery before hers.  I didn't complain one bit - with each minute that I had to deal with my hungry, crabby daughter, all I could think about was the parents who were waiting for their child to get out of surgery.

There were several other families in the waiting room with me.  Some of their reasons for being there were obvious.  One baby had an abnormally shaped head.  Another child seemed healthier than the rest.  Yet his parents seemed more worried than the rest

We didn't talk much.  No one shared stories or compared scars.  But without communicating, the parents somehow found a way to support each other.  We opened doors, shared toys and comforted each other's babies as they crawled around the room.

As we were each called in one by one, we locked eyes to say good-bye but instead said, "good luck".   I will never forget the families I met in the waiting room today.  They are all I can think about tonight as I sit on the couch, ignoring the stresses that usually occupy my mind in the quiet hours of night.  Even though I know I will be in the waiting room again in a few months, I sincerely hope that everything went so well for the other families today that I never get to see them again.