Be Aware

As a Greeter, there are two sisters (“Sabrina” and “Katie”) that occasionally come through the door I am welcoming at. Today I saw them. Both of these smiling senior siblings are close friends, wear glasses, and have spiked “salt and pepper” gray hair. Katie has a surprise for me that is obvious as soon as she walks in the door.

With a smile on her face, active Sabrina positively faces the challenge of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in her life with a mobile unit of oxygen. Sabrina greatly enjoys shopping with her sister. She is dependent on Katie to keep her on task with her shopping list. (Of course, most stores today would prefer customers to be unfocused, and buy everything around them.)

In their most current visit to the store, I discovered Katie had gone on vacation (minus Sabrina) to the town of Kennebunkport, Maine, summer home of two former Bush presidents and their families. On a particular day of her vacation, Katie decided to rest her arm on a nearby car. (This is not the wisest with all the car alarms these days.)

Before making that decision, Katie should have checked to make sure an automobile was actually there. She did not. There was nothing that could be done to stop the fall that was bound to happen in just seconds. When it all came down, Katie’s face took the brunt of this incident on the unforgiving asphalt.

Though Katie’s face was a mess, a doctor verified her eyesight and teeth weren’t damaged. Katie thought it might be best not to call Sabrina about this. She knew her sister would worry, and there really was nothing she could. Instead she’d show Sabrina her face up close and personal when she returned from her time of “relaxation.”

Katie’s surprise for me was a new look on the left side of her face that I didn’t particularly like. The words that came to mind at that moment were “raccoon” and “ouch.” On the left side of Katie’s face was a purple bruise that went intermittingly from the top of her eye to the top of her cheek.

To add to all the reddish-purple was a slightly yellowish hue on the rest of skin surrounding this area.  On the positive side of this fiasco, I told Katie as long as she had this bruise she would be the topic of conversation wherever she went.

When in unfamiliar surroundings, always be attentive to what is around you. Be careful to only do activities that appropriate and safe for you no matter what the obvious might appear to be.

The scripture passage, I Peter 5:8 (MSG), emphasizes the importance of being watchful in the spiritual realm. “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.”  Wherever you are in your life it never hurts to be as prepared as is possible.