I have had a tough week. I couldn’t get the pharmacy to fill my prescription because they had the wrong fax number to my doctor. I couldn’t get my doctor to fax the prescription because they had the wrong fax number for the pharmacy. For over nine days, I had to make at least four phone calls a day – always providing the correct fax number. I was just trying to get someone to listen to me. The entire experience left me feeling frustrated, angry and down right insignificant!!
So what did I do?
I didn’t blame or cuss or do any of the things my very angry self wanted to do. I wrote a letter telling both the pharmacy and my doctor just how frustrated and unimportant they made me feel. I then faxed those letters to the RIGHT fax numbers. I told them about ME. How hard I am trying to be kind and respectful to them. I told them that they have made me feel like a non-person. I was honest and open.
I wanted both the doctor and the pharmacist to know that there is a real live person, with feelings, behind those phone calls that they have been receiving daily for almost ten days! Within hours of my sending the fax, I had become a person and my prescription was filled!
This entire doctor/pharmacy adventure got me thinking…I remember the days when my mom called the pharmacist by his first name. She knew the local butcher, the milk man, the garbage collector and the paper boy. There wasn’t any internet. Our Facebook was Our Neighborhood.
There was a time when people really knew each other.
My mom would send me to the corner store with a note and I would give it to Miss Claire. Then she would help me get what my mom needed. Miss Claire knew my dog’s name, what school I went to, and even what boy I thought was cute. She always gave me penny candy and a hug. She made me feel important, cared for.
When did we get so connected – yet so disconnected?
Now that I have opened my eyes, and removed them from my screen, what the heck am I going to do about my newfound need to feel significant? To start, I am going to go to the store and smile at people. I am going to learn the name of my pharmacist and the receptionist at my doctor’s office. I am even going to go to my local grocery store and learn the name of the young man who always places a neatly wrapped package in my hand when I order from the butcher counter.
Trust me, none of this is going to be easy for me. I am perfectly happy as an introvert. I recognize that, while I label myself as such, God has not labeled me that way. His plan for me is a lot different than my plan for me.
I have known for quite some time that God wants me to step out and befriend those that need a listening ear. My family can attest to the fact that I can go just about anywhere, do just about anything, and total strangers will come up to me and pour out their life story. I can be dressed up or covered in mud, it will not matter – someone will “find” me.
Now I am going to find them!
I am not going to stand in line, walk the street or shop the store without looking at and seeing the wonderful people around me. I am not going to allow myself to cringe inside when a complete stranger starts telling me about their marriage, their baby, their life. I am going to try my best to let the people around me – not just family and friends, but everyone, know that I SEE them – they are important – significant.
Maybe you can join me in my quest to discover what people are like in real life and not just in the virtual world? Let’s put our phones on mute, step into the store, and just smile. Let’s make a tiny impression on a stranger, and by doing so, make ourselves and them significant – SEEN. Let’s appreciate each other for the wonderful creations we are. Let’s become “rural missionaries” tracking through grocery aisles and into city parks and parking lots. Finding and caring for each other. We don’t need to take a plane, or walk through distant villages to call ourselves missionaries. We can extend hope, faith and love from our very own back yards.
ISAIAH 6:8THEN I HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD SAYING:WHO SHOULD I SEND?WHO WILL GO FOR US?I SAID: HERE I AM. SEND ME.
Let’s say, “Here we are, send us!!”
DeMarie Rossi lives in Murrieta California with her son and daughter-in-law and two lovely grand-daughters. She attended Maria College in NY where she received her accounting accreditation and business degree. During her time as a military spouse, she attended the United States Air Force Dental and Surgical tech program, receiving her nationwide accreditation in infection control and the treatment of medically compromised patients. As a certified HIV counselor she spearheaded the first New York State HIV grant under Ryan White, to ensure that dental care was provided to the HIV community.
DeMarie was also a columnist for the Troy Record in NY for 4 years, where she shared her passion for jewelry design and glass work. She was born in New York, but has lived in; Texas, Italy, Germany, Florida and Alaska. While living in Alaska she flew into remote villages with a dental team to provide care. During this time she learned how to pilot a single engine Cessna. Today, she has decided to keep her feet on the ground and retire in lovely Southern California.
In 2012 DeMarie received the prestigious John L. Treadway Award in recognition of her 14 year journey of care-taking for her mother who suffered with Alzheimer’s Disease. This experience gave her a unique insight into the world of care-giving, and the challenges faced by those who take on this soul-searching experience.
DeMarie has been a glassblower since 1993 and she now creates with glass full-time. Her dream is to empower others to find a true friendship with God and to journey with those that want to serve Him by serving others. You can see some of her glass work by visiting Glitzy Glass Studio on-line or by dropping by her personal FB page or her business FB page
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