These feet were made for walkin'
The pool of applicants came down to me and another girl slightly older than myself with a bit more experience. One doctor preferred her qualifications. The other, mine. They called us both in and said they had decided to hire us both! It was the start of a long career that morphed from receptionist to other expanded duties including eventual transcriptionist.
Both doctors were bright, young, caring individuals whose presence in our rural community filled a great need. They were embraced and loved as the practice grew and more staff was added. They each had great qualities and personality aspects that appealed to a wide variety of patients. Both were compassionate but one was also very passionate.
He worked long clinic hours, always willing to see "one more patient". We rarely got away for lunch and rarely closed on time. He also worked long hours on call in the evenings, attended a local church when he could and made time to protest the nuclear waste being sent through the area by train ~ going so far as even lying on the tracks!
Being a busy, passionate man, his personal appearance was, shall we say, found lacking. His clothes were often mismatched, pants too short and shirts partially untucked. His glasses snapped in two at some point and he wore them taped back together with white medical tape. And the shoes, oh, the shoes...
One morning we noticed something even more different about his ensemble; somehow he had arrived for work with two different shoes! We discussed it among ourselves (with a few giggles and grins) but couldn't bear to tell him. And because passionate people often react as equally passionate about circumstances (I remember one instance of medical books flying off his desk in one fell swoop...) were were a bit apprehensive about sharing this bit of news.
To tell you the truth I don't remember if he finished the day that way or if his wife brought one of the mates. I don't remember if one of us told him or if a patient spilled the proverbial beans.
What I do remember is that doctor, in whatever shoes he was wearing at the time, loved deeply. He sacrificed greatly to care for the sick, the hurting, the grieving, the poor and the lonely. He would erase any debt held by a family with the loss of a loved one and no bills were sent. His patients were never numbers but individuals.
Although the mismatched shoes created a memory, the lasting memory for me is the day those shoes of his walked into an exam room to find an extremely ill child. After the briefest of exams, fearing the wait of an ambulance would seal an untimely outcome, he scooped up that little girls in his arms, held her close to his chest, and ran as fast as he could with her to his own vehicle and raced her to the hospital where she arrived just in time for a life saved. Truly the hands and feet of Jesus that day.
High heeled or flats, leather or synthetic, worn out or new, matching or mismatched - even barefooted - matters little. The important thing is that our feet are made for walking, for going, for making a difference.
Where might God be asking your feet to go today?
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation..." Isaiah 52
(photos are of our daughter participating in Tom's a day without shoes)
Linking up here: http://www.impartinggrace.com/
Linking up here: http://www.impartinggrace.com/
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12 comments
You've left me speechless with tears in my eyes, Mindy.
ReplyDeleteMy doctor is the very same way and each time I see him, I have to remind him to take care of himself as well as others. What a treasure he is!
Thank you. You write beautifully!
Thanks Robyn - so grateful for those who give so much of themselves.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful! What a lovely tribute and reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks Karmen : )
DeleteMom and I are reading your blog from Orlando tonight. Firstly, are those your feet? :). Secondly, keep up the inspirational reminders! Love and hugs!
ReplyDeleteWow, reading on your vacation! Those are Bethany's cute toes in the mud. If you scroll down to the bottom there is a picture of her walking across from the bridge too. It was on Tom's a day without shoes. Love and hugs back to you both!
DeleteThis is so good! Thanks for stopping by my blog—I'm blessed by your words today.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dawn - I will be back :) And I think my husband would like the drizzled butter on the brownies!
DeleteBeautiful post Mindy! I work for a surgeon. Thanks for the great reminder!
ReplyDeleteMary Anne, I have never worked directly for a surgeon but have done dictation from them. Great to hear from you : )
DeleteHi Mindy. Thank you for stopping by and commenting today. This post brought me to tears. What a compassionate man. I pray for a heart like that but too often am lacking. I desire to have others see Jesus in me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute to a doctor who resembles the best of the profession. My own husband, just this week, went to a meeting with two different shoes. We had a good laugh about that. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment! xo, ab
ReplyDelete