Professional Responsibility?

My mother went to the doctor Friday to find out she has tumor(s).

Such news is always very frightening--both for the patient as well as that patient's family and friends. The lack of information is, perhaps, the most terrifying.

Is it malignant? Is it benign? How big? How many? How far has it spread?

The doctor performed a biopsy and scheduled her to return this afternoon to discuss the results and options.

Seems reasonable.

But during the visit Friday, without any prompt, the doctor told my mother:

"It looks really bad."

When asked for more information, then he got silent.

So. Great. My family had to crawl through the weekend echoing the question: What did he mean? Are we looking at the worst?

Great exercise of your Professional Responsibility to the client, jackass.

Thank you.

If anyone reading is a prayerful person, please . . .

Also this weekend, we spent the night with the in-laws on Saturday. And their next-door neighbor took a shotgun, walked outside, sat down against the house about 20 feet from our bedroom window, and blew his head off.

I did not see the resulting scene. My father-in-law, not knowing what had happened, looked over the fence and did.

This guy had a wife and two grown children. And many, many friends. One can never know how many people will be affected by one's death.

Even the neighbors to whom you occasionally speak.

But if he didn't care how such a selfish act would affect his wife and children, why would he care about anyone else?

Finally, to end with some good news: Mrs. Misery's doctor called this morning to report early testing for birth defects shows a completely healthy baby.

There is one prayer answered.