Butterfly Sparks Designs

Monday, August 2, 2010

Willie, the Shuttle Bus Driver :)

Sometimes we see God in unexpected places.

At the last hospital where I worked, employees parked at a lot that was a considerable distance from the hospital. Therefore...

Enter: Shuttle Buses.

And, Shuttle Bus Drivers.

At the start of each day, in the mornings, Willie was my shuttle bus driver.

And in the evening, at the close of my working days,Willie's brother, Robert, drove me towards home.

I think I've said on here before, y'all, that I'm not a morning person. I. am not. a morning PERSON.

Not at all.

When I worked the day shift at this hospital, I had to get up at 5:00a.m.

It was unpleasant. It was something like torture, really, dragging myself out of bed that early :)

But every morning that I'd hoist myself up the large, tall steps of the shuttle bus, there would be sweet Willie, with a nod of his head and a gentle, "Mornin' Ma'am."

And then, as I would sigh and anticipate the day ahead, as we got closer and closer to the hospital, sweet Willie would say to each of us as we exited the bus, "Have a good day, now. Have a blessed day."

It wasn't alot of words, and I certainly didn't know Willie, but there was something in his voice; in the way he always said so easy and gently, "Have a good day, now."

It always made me feel better. It was comforting.  His voice was like a warm cup of tea, or a kiss of blessing from God Himself to survive the rigors of the hospital about to rush in. It was like a pat from your momma goodbye, as you stared at a big yellow school bus arriving, or a whisper in the wind telling you it would all be okay.

I used to make cookies for Willie sometimes.

Because I appreciated something that would seem so small as a "Have a good day, now."

Willie was like a guardian to the day, and I thought cookies would be a nice gesture to say thanks. I'd make them for he and his brother every now and then.

After a few years at that hospital, I left to pursue a nursing job with a little less stress. Working the evening shift now, I get parking privileges in the hospital parking garage and don't have to walk very far into the hospital.

Last week was one of those banner work weeks that you hope you soon forget. Very challenging patients and an incident with a challenging, hothead doctor left my spirit heavy at the end of the week.

I had to go to a Conflict Management training class on Thursday, which was a daytime training. So I had to park in a satellite lot again and catch a shuttle bus. [Daytime hospital workers usually park in parking lots farther away so that during peak hospital hours, patients and families can have the parking spots closest to the buildings so they don't have to walk as far.]

At the end of the day of training, there were some lingering issues I still had to address with upper hospital management regarding the challenging doctor. And I walked out of the hospital that day feeling quite discouraged.

I caught the shuttle bus at the shuttle bus stop, and imagine my surprise when who was the shuttle bus driver, but Willie!

"Hi, Willie!" I said. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but it's sure good to see you!" [It had been about a year since I'd seen Willie].

"Yeah! I remember you! You used to bring me cookies."

Turns out Willie still works for my old hospital in the mornings, and works at my new hospital in the afternoons. Willie and I shot the breeze for awhile, and as I exited the bus after a hard day, I heard those old familiar words again,

"Have a good day, now."

And hearing that smooth and easy voice say those words again, helped me leave behind a very bad day, with a new smile on my face :)

Sometimes we find God in unexpected places.

And when we most need Him, He has a way of showing up :)

2 comments:

  1. Just love it! I am in the float pool at my current hospital. Well, I had been floated several days in a row to one of our most challenging floors. It was starting to take it's toll on me so on my way in the other day I just told God, "I'm tired. I just need a friendly face to work with today and I will work any where--even there." I wasn't there but God sent me a fantastic seasoned nurse to work along side me that day! It was such a blessing and gave me the energy I needed to get through the day.

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  2. As a nurse who faced a "mandatory retirement" due to some health issues, it was great to stumble onto your blog. Nursing has been one of the passions of my life, and always made me feel alive. I felt the stir of that within me again as I read your blog. Thanks for sharing!

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