Future Home of Calvary Medical Center

I wish I could explain what this picture of dirt means to me. If I were a Photoshop wizard, I’d have drawn in a sign that says, “Future Home of Calvary Medical Center.” Then I’d put twinkling lights and shiny tinsel all around the edges, because it feels a lot like Christmas to me.

When we first moved to this community, my husband set up his medical offices in four rooms of a small motel. Two years later, I became his receptionist and office manager. This has been a dream since our first date 36 years ago, so we were quite willing to start small on this adventure.

Our waiting room is a hallway, and our filing cabinet is in the bathroom. The practice has grown a lot in the last few years (praise God) and now six of us share a small office space. The distraction of everybody doing their jobs in such confined space makes me a bit crazy some days. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to bang my head on that filing cabinet someday. But, we have tried to be patient. There isn’t much money to be made in country medicine, and new buildings are expensive.

Last week, though, the site was staked out and the dirt was turned! Every day, this bare field changes just a little more. I drive by twice a day to see what progress has been made. Within a couple of months, we plan to move into a modular unit on the site while our new building goes up. Our waiting room will have a view of the lake, and our filing cabinet will have a room of its own!!!

My friend, Tina, stopped by the other day and said, “What is that I see up the road? Is that dirt being moved?! Is that a clinic going up?”

“Why, yes it is,” I said.

Tine grabbed my hand, “Let’s just go up there and dance on the dirt,” she said. “Come on, I’ll dance with you.”

We didn’t go that day. (Partly because I needed to keep working so we can pay for the building and partly because I’m not sure the community could take the sight of two middle-aged women dancing in the field on a Tuesday morning.)

My joy increased twenty-fold, though. It is one thing to be proud of your dirt. It’s another thing entirely to have a friend willing to dance with you on it.

Thanks, Tina.