Phone calls

There are phone calls from your kids that you pray you never have to receive: “Mom, I’ve been kidnapped.” “Mom, I’ve flunked out.” “Mom, I’m eloping.” “Mom, I’m pregnant (got a girl pregnant).” This was not one of those calls. But it wasn’t fun either.

Yesterday I was helping a staff member with a technology issue when my phone rang. From the ringtone, I knew it was Lorie but I just couldn’t take the call at that time. When I got things square with the staff member, I went to find a place where my phone had enough bars, and listened to the voicemail she left. It’s never easy to hear your children crying. It’s harder when they are hundreds of miles away from you and you can’t get to them to help make it better. Lorie was sick. She had been “both sides” sick all night long and needed help. I called her back and told her she needed to somehow, someway get to the clinic. Her roommate told her that she would help her, so off they went. Either she had food poisoning or some kind of stomach bug…they weren’t sure. But the sent her back to the dorm with a prescription. Now, I understand that they can’t supply everything, but, seriously, the child is a freshman who aren’t allowed to have cars so they sent someone who is draining from both ends off with no medication to help and with a prescription that she’ll have to use public transportation to get to a place that will fill it? Really? REALLY?!

Anyhow, long story shorter, the sweet roommate went to CVS to get the meds but couldn’t get away to do it until nearly 5pm. CVS took 2 hrs to fill the script so even though Lorie went to the clinic around 12:30, it was nearly 7pm before she got anything to help her.

She called me last night and sounded 1000x better and so much more like herself. She got some sleep while waiting for her roommate and had been trying to study for an exam today that is worth a third of her grade. Poor baby had to clean up all the mess from throwing up in the trashcan in her room all night. She said that she promised her roommate to make the room “not smell like death.”

So hard to be a mom at times like these. There’s no way to fix it, help out, or do anything but listen to your offspring hurting. I did a lot of praying yesterday. Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers. I know You love Lorie infinitely more than I do.