Working Stuff Out

As you already read on T's blog, my dad was unexpectedly called to STL on Sunday for a kidney transplant and is doing well. We expect that he will be out of ICU in the morning and has already been up and out of bed during the first 24 hours! For the next couple of weeks, I'll be staying with him in an apartment near the hospital, so he can have regular check-ups.

This has certainly been an experience - including:

• 6 hours of sleep in the last 52
• An incredibly punitive speeding ticket (even after I tried the "I'm rushing to the Kidney Transplant" line with the nice officer)
• Visiting the wrong hospital in beautiful downtown East St. Louis
• Hearing what a stopped mini-van sounds like when struck by an already beat up Ford Mustang

All the crappy stuff above gives me a chance to whine a little bit ... but I have to say that in spite of all that, it's been a wonderful opportunity to see how God "orders our steps".
I'd told my previous employer that if the transplant happened (at some vague point in the somewhat distant future), I would be taking a week off to help - but that was the extent of my actual preparation .
When the call came in early Sunday morning, I found myself stunned that I was completely prepared to help. Here's another list:

• I'm among the blissfully unemployed-yet-still-being-paid-Citi-17,000
• The house we are about to move to had just been found .. giving me 2 free weeks before our move date that I had been planning to spend house hunting.
• Our current house was 95% packed so T wouldn't be left to pack it all while I was gone
• Everything I needed to have for 2 weeks in another city was packed and ready to go.
• Dad's other identified volunteer was able to cover the 2 weeks after my move date .... but would have been able to help for these 2 weeks.
• Even the job offer that I expected weeks ago called to say that they had been delayed in their approval process - so if an offer is made, I'll be able to start after the move date and my time with Dad here in STL.

I know my use of bullet points is a little annoying, but trying to put all that stuff in a narrative would would have taken way too long. I'll try to blog while I'm here - but I'm not sure about the Wi-Fi connectivity where I'll be staying. Thanks to all of you that have prayed and adjusted your schedules to help out.