May 15 – “Phantom Phinger Phenomenon”

I saw a sight yesterday that I can honestly say I never expected.  I was in line at the pharmacy to pick up some medications.  Now I have heard many interesting, and sometimes gross, stories while standing in that line, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.  I guess it just sort of snuck up on me.  The pharmacist glanced up from her preparations and noticed the guy standing right in front of me.  He was watching her, so when they made eye contact, he waved.  Now our pharmacy over at Randall’s is one of those where the folks working there are really good at getting to know their regular customers.  I rarely have to identify myself now, and usually they have the prescription ready by the time I reach the register.  Because of that customer relations history, then, I was not at all surprised by the acknowledgment.  But something happened in that wave.  The pharmacist dropped what she was doing and raced to the counter, calling him by name and demanding, “Oooo.  Let me see.  Let me see.”  Now tell me you wouldn’t have been intrigued by that. 

The guy smiled widely and sauntered up to the counter to join her.  She asked, “How long has it been, two weeks?”  Now I don’t usually get that worked up over being apart for two weeks with anyone except Chris, so now I was really hooked.  So was everyone else working in the pharmacy as well as every customer in the vicinity.  And that’s when everything started to make sense.  He held up his hand, the one he had used to wave his initial greetings with, to reveal a neat set of stitches in the area of … wait a minute.  I started counting.  One, two, three … the guy had no index finger on that hand.  It had been surgically removed for whatever reason, and except for the stitches, the hand looked as if it came that way.  His surgeon did an amazing job.  By this time he realized that he had an audience, and was fine with “showing off” for the crowd.  He said the only problem he was having came when he tried to do the “brush your finger across your nose when it itches” thing.  In his words, “I keep missing.”  The Phantom Phinger Phenomenon was truly a reality for him. 

Psalms 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Father, continue healing that guy’s surgery wound, and protect him from any further difficulties.  Thank you for his inspirational spirit.  Amen.