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My Wife on Meds

It's not the only time that I expected a call from a grocery store informing me that there was a strange lady wandering the aisles and perhaps could I help, but this time the phone call was real close. And the lady in question was my wife.

Side note: I haven't talked with grocery store managers and put my name on some sort of 'counseling needed' list. So I really shouldn't ever expect calls from a grocery store. But I think the idea is worth exploring.

But oh, my wife! 

She's been going through a mighty struggle with allergies. But she's like a Norseman when it comes to illness. She'll just glare at the sickness and shrug it off. Or, at least, that's what happens in her mind. In reality she drags her body around while trying to keep up with our kids and her normal schedule. 

The great thing about my wife is that she's not so stubborn that she won't get some medicine after being down for 2 weeks. The even better thing about my wife is what happened next. 

She needed to pick up her prescription after an evening at church. After all, where else would we be? Knowing she needed to pick up a few other things, I left her a note reminding her not to forget her medication. In my typical fashion, I simply wrote 'MEDS' in big letters on a post-it note. 

As she left the church, she stuck the note to her chest, so she'd have it with her in the store. She got her prescription and a few other items. While in the check out, she ran into a friend, who promptly asked her why she had a note stuck to her chest. That's right, my wife walked the entire store and even conversed with the pharmacist, all with a note reading 'MEDS' stuck to her chest. 

I can only imagine why the pharmacist suggested counseling while handing her the MEDS. But it also got me thinking. What if we all had our biggest need written out for everyone to see? 

My wife walked an entire store and it was clear to everyone that something was not right. (I'd say more there, but I'm clearly already treading on thin ice with this post.) The thing is that many people walk around with needs just as obvious, even without the note. But most of us try very hard to keep our problems hidden. 

But what if we didn't keep it hidden? After all, the only way my wife is going to get better is if she gets some medicine. The rest of us stand a much better chance of receiving help if we make ours needs known to those who can help. 

I know we don't want to be needy. And nobody wants to be down during the season of Christmas. But perhaps post a note asking for help might provide a chance for that Christmas miracle to take place. 

How hard is it for you to ask for help? 
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