What I Got -
what I actually got was Sinusitis
what I actually got was called to the hospital 45 minutes after getting home and feeling really cruddy and out of it.
what I actually got was a trip to the hospital for a parishioner who coded and was brought back
what I actually got was a new doctor's appointment the next day to replace
the one I had to cancel
what I actually got was to have prayer with the family, to hear the heart
cath went well and that I was contagious and not allowed into see the patient
what I did was call the past pastor (retired) to see the patient
what I did was wait for said pastor while family went up to the patient's
floor
what I got was home for a quick little dinner and into my comfy clothes
what I got was another call from the hospital that the patient recoded and
wouldn't recover
what I did was change, race down the hospital, and was with the patient
and family until after 9 pm when the patient was welcomed to her eternal home with God
what I got was a quick exam by my doc, and a prescription
what I got was wait for said prescriptions at the pharmacy
what I got was an afternoon of phone calls to secure an organist, make
arrangements with the family on Sat., and a call to the dinner coordinator
what I got was a short nap out of exhaustation and being sick
what I got was a full Sat. of family meeting, putting the service together, and the prayer service, squaring things with the organist
what I got was a subdued congregation on Sunday morning knowing they had
lost a beloved member
what I got was to leave by noon and arrive home for a quick nap before writing the sermon that was ever so hard to write
what I got was a prayer service for the family at the funeral home in the
morning, and a huge memorial service that afternoon at the church, overflowing sanctuary, dinner for 80 that somehow fed over 100, thanks to all the great casseroles that held out longer than the meat tray (miracle of fishes and loaves!)
what I got that evening was falling asleep on the sofa while watching TV
The committal service was today and I still have a cough and congestion.
My whole face hurt last Thursday from the sinusitis.
I pray for a quiet couple weeks to pack up and ride off into the sunset.
Thankfully, as difficult as the service was, it all went fairly well, barring losing power twice that morning in the middle of printing bulletins.
Pray that the funerals, deaths will now be ended for me. I cannot. do. another. I am spent.