Observations ...

Yesterday was a day of observations for me. Most of it was in the hospital while waiting through a heart bypass surgery for someone from my congregation. Surgery waiting rooms are very interesting places. You can learn about families and family dynamics in waiting rooms. I don't know if it is just the tension of waiting for news of your loved one, if the decor and furniture in waiting rooms does it, or if it is just that much time (over 6 hours in this case) or what, but learn you will if you just watch and listen.

The family I was with has some great relationships that became obvious throughout the day. There was much laughter as they shared stories about each other and the one in surgery. (Of course I am a sucker for families that laugh together and laugh at themselves.) Their was geniune concern without anyone attempting to call attention to themself. Fortunately we heard good news at the end of a long wait, that always helps it all come together. Some of the other families were not as cordial to each other. Some hardly spoke to each other, I know that different personalities handle things differently, but a couple of these families had some serious issues going on. Some were waiting by themselves, which is something most of us don't think about until we go through the wait for a loved one ourselves. There was also a kinship among all the families in the waiting room. Whenever the phone rang, everyone stopped talking to hear which family was getting news, then everyone else resumed their talking, reading, TV watching, sleeping or whatever, but with one eye on the family with the news. They were watching to see if it was good or bad news, and there were always supportive statements to these people you really didn't even know, but shared something in common with.

One other observation, my wife hosted a ladies event at our home last evening. It was still going on when I got home about 9:30 pm. There were over 20 ladies at a "Death By Chocolate" event. It supposedly was a murder mystery type thing, with different ones playing roles and everyone trying to guess who was guilty or innocent. They all brought a favorite chocolate dessert. It was sponsored by the Women's Ministry at our church. The observation was that these ladies, many of whom nearly always claim to be on some kind of diet, will dive into anything chocolate without reservation. I can't wait to hear the "diet" comments on Sunday morning. I will have to decide whether to take my life in my hands and comment on the chocolate buffet they devoured or not. What do you think I should do?

Here's hoping you have a great day of observations.