One Foot Between Nose and Chin
Yesterday morning was a busy one around our house. We have a major deadline coming up on Friday for From Adam to Us and I was scrambling. I was at my desk before 6:00 a.m. A little while later, I went to Ray and asked, “Do you think I ought to call Wayne (our minister) and ask him to teach Ladies Bible Class?” Without hesitation, he said, “Yes,” so I texted Wayne right away. No, he couldn’t sub for me today. He had a meeting, but he thought it would be fine to call the church secretary and ask her to call everyone and cancel the class.
I hesitated. Last week our numbers were probably the smallest they have ever been, just six of us. You know how it is — tummy troubles, a doctor’s appointment, company from out of town. There was no great problem, just the usual things that happen now and then. But, yesterday morning was warm and dry. One of our ladies has been out of town for several weeks helping her sister after surgery. I just couldn’t bring myself to cancel.
Deciding to go anyway meant that Ray and I needed to read 36 pages aloud to one another and proofread them in about an hour and a half. It went great and we finished with time to spare.
When I got to church, I walked in to a full class (and I wasn’t even late). Isn’t it wonderful to follow your heart instead of your head sometimes? I can’t think of anyone who is usually there who wasn’t there yesterday morning. We even had a visitor and it is our visitor who is at the center of my story for today. I’ll call her Jennie.
I had a wonderful small town experience this week and decided to share it with the ladies, all older than I am, except Jennie, and one by 29 years! I don’t know Jennie, but all of the other ladies have family ties here. In fact, I think they were all born here, except me. I love a chance to brag on our little town.
My mother has lost her Medicare supplement coverage. It’s a long story, but the upshot is that I’ve had some red tape to cut my way through this week. I found her a new insurance policy quickly here in town, but it doesn’t cover prescriptions. When Ray and I went to pick up her prescriptions on Monday night (for the first time since she lost her coverage), we learned that the price for her most expensive medication is $409 — and that is for a one-month supply.
Instead of paying it, I called one of our two local drug stores to find out what it would cost there. I would have been buying her prescriptions there all along but Mother’s old insurance required me to go to a certain chain a half hour away. The local owner/pharmacist got on the phone, told me their price (which was already cheaper than the chain), told me where to get a coupon for it online, and offered to find Mother a new prescription drug card that would work well for her. Then she offered to get to the coupon for her, too.
When Mother and I went in to pick it up, the pharmacist told me the price for this month’s supply of her $409 drug — $0.00. The coupon she found was good for the first month free!
I was elated about the blessing and about being treated so well by a small town druggist and so I shared it with my class. When I did, a few ladies looked a bit uncomfortable and I wondered what I had said. I couldn’t imagine.
Our visitor had to be somewhere right away after class and hurried out before anyone else. That’s when one of my sweet confidantes came over to me and said, “You know who Jennie is don’t you? She’s in charge of ________ Drug.” The other drug store in town!!
Well, of course, I was mortified. Here I had just bragged and bragged on her competition across the town square!
When I was younger I would have worried and fretted about it, but yesterday I went straight to _______ Drug, walked past the spinney seats of the soda fountain, told an employee I wanted to speak with the druggist, and apologized profusely. We had a great conversation and she told me that she feels just the way I do about the other druggist.
Who would have thought I could get into trouble complimenting someone? Deadline or no deadline, it was not worth going home and fretting. There is no time like the present for getting the air cleared!
So do not worry about tomorrow;
for tomorrow will care for itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34
It sure does when you have my propensity to keep one foot firmly planted between my nose and chin!