It seemed like a
dream, too good to be true, when GOD returned Zion’s exiles. We laughed, we
sang, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. We were the talk of the nations—
“GOD was wonderful to them!” GOD was wonderful to us; we are one happy people.
Psalms 126:1 - 3 (TMSG)
My bride, Elizabeth, once (long ago and in a faraway
galaxy) held a position as an orthodontist's assistant. When she first trained for the job, she was
given instructions on how to operate the controls on the dental chair. Her job would include getting the patient
settled in the chair, reclined and comfortable.
Her first patient was a rather large man in his
fifties. After the customary talk about
weather and family, the man was shown to the "seat of honor". Staring at the control panel, Elizabeth's
training somehow seemed to vanish; the instructions looked like an alien
language; she decided to "wing it".
The first button she pushed had a promising result as
the chair backrest started toward the reclining position. Unfortunately, when the huge fellow was
nearly horizontal Elizabeth pressed what she thought was the stop button; it
turned out to be the emergency release.
The back rest toppled backwards, turning the man upside-down.
Elizabeth is not afraid to correct mistakes; neither
is she afraid to do it quickly. Pressing
one control after another, the seat carrying her guinea pig jolted upright,
forward, and then banked slightly to the left.
Another few stabs at the panic buttons, and the chair (with its
passenger holding on for dear life) banked and looped like a crop-dusting plane
on crack cocaine.
By this time the patient began to exhibit some minor
concerns about the turbulent flight, mostly with questions that began with
"Are you....whoops....hey, what's.....whoaaaaa......can you stop
this....aaaaahhhh".
Now, my bride is a compassionate, caring person, but
she does one thing which no human being can properly understand when it happens
– when nervous, she giggles! It is
uncontrollable, and as predictable as April 15th at the IRS. Once she was told about a death in the family
and she had to go into the ladies' room to keep from being misunderstood.
When criticized or embarrassed in any way she smiles
in a way that can frustrate her children or husband in ways inventors of "water-boarding"
never imagined.
When the "bucking bronco" of an examining
chair had finally been subdued, the nervous Mrs. Brownworth was unable to
breathe, unbidden tears of laughter pooling at her feet. What seemed like an hour was probably only
half a minute, but even at the World Bull-Riding championships the
professionals only have to stay on for 8 seconds!
Now, there is one other thing about Elizabeth’s
laughter – it is infectious! By the time
the chair had gotten tamed, the patient and four other dental assistants were also
in stitches.
Somehow the situation eventually calmed down enough
for the doctor to do his thing, and Elizabeth did keep her job. It may have only been kindness, or a sense of
humor on the patient's part, however.
At the end of the day the receptionist came to
Elizabeth and reassured her that all was well; in fact, the man had paid her a
compliment. He told the receptionist to
tell the doctor to make sure he kept Elizabeth on staff, and maybe consider
giving her a raise. He said, That
lady sure knows how to show a fella a good time!
Remember This
Christmas is on the horizon; it’s not all sugar plums and candy
canes. The holidays can test your reserve
strength and patience.
Remember to smile a lot and enjoy the ride.
Remember….it’s a birthday party!
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