We left the hospital last night with three prescriptions for Mom. Two of them needed to be filled immediately. Since it was after normal pharmacy hours, I had to drive to the only 24 hour pharmacy in the area, which is 20 minutes away.
So, while we were waiting in the car for them to be filled, we tried to distract Mom with some food and something to drink. That worked for about 20 minutes. At which point, Mom became progressively agitated and wanted to get out. She began yelling and waving at people, trying to get them to "save" her. She finally got a lady's attention that was parked a few spaces away. Mom stuck her hand out the crack at the top of the window and grabbed the woman's hand and begged her to help her. The woman talked very softly to Mom and rubbed her hand. I quietly explained why Mom was upset. The woman talked to her a moment longer and walked away. As she drove in front of us, she gestured that she would be praying for us.
A few people waved and smiled at Mom as she gestured, trying to get their attention. One woman came over and talked to Mom and held her hand. She said that she was a doctor and knows that what we are doing, and what Mom is going through, is rough. She diagnosed Mom's problem (accurately) and gave us a few suggestions to calm her. While most of the suggestions rarely work for Mom, I was struck with the woman's kindness and willingness to help.
Often, I am irritated and frustrated with the judgements and criticism of strangers. More often, like last night, I am impressed with their kindness and compassion.
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