March 4 – “On sizing”

We got one of those phone call requests that cannot possibly be ignored yesterday.  Cailyn wanted to know if we could be the ones to pick her up from school and bring her to … not her house where her Daddy was suffering from some bad back pain … but instead to our house so she could just come over and play.  Not a request a grandparent can easily say no to, so of course we agreed. 

Just as we were preparing to go pick her up, I received an email from a lady at Seaside.  Seems her husband had been at work (He’s a tech in the cardiac unit at UTMB) when he suddenly collapsed.  As it turned out he had some kind of virus that attacked his heart.  What better place (if you have to do it) to have a cardiac event than on the actual cardiac floor of the hospital?  They were still at the ER and she had forgotten my phone number.  I hastened to change clothes, since I also needed to make a quick trip to station one to check in with one of the guys who had a tough call the other day.  Chris took me over to Nathan’s house and I picked up the truck and headed on to the hospital.  That left her and Cailyn a full afternoon of Nani-Granddaughter Day. 

The one anecdote Chris shared with me from their day involved looking at the Target ads from the newspaper.  Cailyn was excited to see that bathing suit section had been highlighted.  Chris explained that she needed to go check those out, because she had a few bathing suit tops, but just one bottom.  That brought a full on chuckle from Cailyn.  Once she recovered from her giggles, Cailyn got done to some serious business.  “What if they don’t have anything that fits, Nani?”  A true concern, and apparently and OK question among just the girls.  I would never tread on such thin ice myself, of course.  Chris assured her that she would then just have to look elsewhere.  Still concerned that Nani get in on this incredible sale at Target (Cailyn’s favorite store, by the way), She then asked, “Well, what size do you wear?”  As I said, totally taboo topic as far as I was concerned.  Chris handled it well, though.  She was honest.  So she countered with, “I don’t know.”  Well now, Cailyn just couldn’t have that.  She reached up and grabbed the back of Chris’ t-shirt, right at the neckline, pulling it tight in front and nearly cutting off the blood flow to the brain.  All in a good cause, though.  She then read out, “Oh, here it is.  Size 50/50.”  Not sure how that translates into the small, medium, large realm, but it’s a start. 

Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

Father, thank you for the special girl time Chris had with Cailyn yesterday.  And would you give Darrell’s doctors some wisdom to figure out exactly what it was that took him down?  That would be a scary thing to live in anticipation of.  Amen.