Saint Luke - Medical Field Chris
Hello Everyone!
This entire email is just a short story about something that happened this weekend, so if you’re looking for our “BIG NEWS” report, it’s not here because it’s not ready yet. Sorry! Once it’s newsworthy, I will post about it. Trust me on that.
This newsletter might qualify as “Most Boring Newsletter Ever,” so if you’ve got a busy Monday, please delete and be done! Thanks.
So, anyway, back to this little weekend story….
Most of you know I have had the “Who’s Your Saint Quiz?” on the www.saintsforsinners.com web site since we started. Over the years, I have been lousy, good, terrible, exceptional, or absent about answering quizzes. There were times when we had good publicity, like when were featured in OK! Magazine, and I couldn’t catch up with answering the quizzes, and that just led me to give up! There were other times when I truly “dug deep” and offered some nice perspective, got to “know” someone online, and even made a friend.
Honestly, I have really and truly made friends from answering the quizzes. One time, I developed and cultivated such a nice friendship, the quiz taker from NYC and I and some friends went to dinner at Commander’s Palace here in New Orleans. It was terrific! And then we did it again! All because a curious lady took a simple quiz and I replied!
And these days, thanks to my new, wonderful, assistant Emily, I am 100 % up-to-date with the quizzes. I believe I will stay up-to-date in the future too! And this weekend, I had one of the best quizzes, ever. Which is the only reason I am writing this email to y’all who dare or indulge to get to the “bottom line.” I digress.
Someone named Chris filled out the quiz on Saturday. His answers were unremarkable, but I figured if I just started typing, a saint would come to mind and I’d be effectively answering and replying to the quiz. And then get back to watching Ari Melber on MSNBC or Anderson Cooper on CNN, two habits I should probably give up for Lent (or so I am told).
So, I had to give Chris a reply - It didn’t happen! I was reading about the person being in the Medical Field (“Medical Field Chris”) but I didn’t know whether the person was a man or a woman, a nurse, doctor, orderly, or volunteer, so I didn’t feel comfortable choosing gender or health-related saints (Cosmas & Damien for doctors, and Luke as well; Agatha and Margaret for nurses, Raphael and Pio for healing, and so forth and so on….) No particular saint was popping into my head, so I did what I usually do when I simply can’t find a saint after reviewing a quiz.
I responded to Chris and said, “I’m stumped and I don’t have a saint for you. Try Saint Anthony because he helps find lost things.” I also explained about the saints I was thinking about, to at least show that I read his responses and tried.
Chris had written that he liked Saint Christopher but I had replied, “I can’t suggest Saint Christopher because that is just too trite and meaningless. Because….
One time, I was with my dear nephew Nick in Florida. We were there for a family vacation and going out for lunch as a short escape! I saw a sign for a club or restaurant that said “Nick’s” and I said we should take a picture of him - Nick - under the sign. Nick declined and said something like, “I’m not going to chase a sign every time it has my name on it.” Point taken. Duly noted. Ouch. But I “got it” and basically marveled at this young kid, my nephew, Nick, who was simply sage and wise beyond his years."
Another time I was with Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking” and the new book, “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey,” along with her dear friend, Sister Margaret. I had medals to give to them too! The medals were oh so “cleverly” Saint Helen for Sister Helen and the other, Saint Margaret for Sister Margaret. Saint Helen of the Cross (her Feast Day is today, btw) was perhaps a nice choice for Sister Helen since Saint Helen discovered the cross of Jesus and Sister Helen is a discovering and uncovering sort of person. She is diligently dedicating her time and energy to discover how to find ways to help abolish the Death Penalty.
Giving Sister Margaret a Saint Margaret medal was simply an EPIC FAIL. We describe that Saint Margaret as the patron of fertility, safe pregnancies, and nurses. Saint Margaret was clearly not a fit for Sister Margaret and Sister Helen let me know. I recall her saying something admonishing but kind, “Thanks for the medals, Rob. We will give them away but next time, try to be a little more thoughtful when you choose saints for Nuns. Or anyone.” Point taken. Duly noted. Ouch, but this time I really “got it.”
Rest assured I did not choose Saint Chris for “Medical Field” Chris. I was content choosing Saint Anthony though, because he is a nice “Catch All Go To” choice of saint when I just can’t come up with a suitable saint for a quiz taker. So, I wrote the note back to Chris and suggested Saint Anthony and simply told the truth, adding, “You kinda stumped me with your quiz. Please take it again sometime and I will try to do better.”
The next time I checked the computer, I saw that Chris had replied to my Quiz Answer reply. Replies to replies occur every now and then and it’s always nice. It shows people are at least trying to “listen” to each other, a seemingly rare phenomena these days. More digression.
Medical Field Chris replied and he agreed Saint Chris was a bit too trite to be chosen as his saint. (Got it! Thank you, Nick! Thank you, Sister Helen!) And then he added some additional personal information. He deliberately did not want to mention on the quiz that he was studying to get into Medical School. He knew about Saint Luke being the patron of Doctors. He added that he was leery of choosing Saint Luke because he was not in Medical School, yet. In fact, he had an interview at the Tulane Medical School on Wednesday, August, 21st, 2019, two days from the time I’m writing this. That is very exciting news!
I quickly wrote Medical Field Chris back and said he needed the Angels! Raphael was needed for happy meetings (a successful interview), Gabriel for happy news (an invitation to attend Tulane Medical School), and Michael (strength and fortitude) for being in command of critical situations. Collectively these 3 saints/angels would help Chris with furthering his medical field plans. I then offered a 3 for 1 deal because I did not want to look like I was just trying to sell 3 medals. I can be cheesy, but not that cheesy.
Chris also wrote that about thinking a saint for “finishing strong” or a saint for resiliency, might be nice. He added, maybe a saint like that of former saint and ALS advocate, Steve Gleason, would be a nice saint for him. A fiercely competitive, resilient, and strong saint.
We have been active with Team Gleason in the past so I replied and wrote Medical Field Chris about that. I bragged a bit, saying, “If you watch some of the Steve Gleason interviews, you can see our hand-painted saint Stephen medal around his wife, Michel’s neck. It’s the medal in black that has the number 37 in white.” I love that video!
Sunday, or yesterday, came, and I saw that an order for a medal came in from Medical Field Chris! He ordered Saint Michael and one of our “flood medal” crosses, the crosses we hand-paint and then adorn with a bunch of our tired and weary saint medals. The ones I dug up before the bulldozers swept our house away, post-Katrina. I can’t throw those medals away. Physically, mentally, emotionally, or actually, I just can’t part with those saint medals. Katrina got my pictures and video and letters and lots of other sentimental items. Katrina’s aftermath would not, should not, and could not, have my damaged, tired and weary flooded saint medals. I give them to hand-painted crosses instead.
So, last night, I amped it up and packaged the flood medal cross, all 3 of the Arch Angels, and a saint Stephen medal for Medical Field Chris. I went and mailed them off at our local Post Office headquarters on Loyola Avenue. Chris should get the medals and the cross before his interview. I hope the Angels help him. There’s something about this Medical Field Chris that makes me positive he’d be a wonderful, caring, and skilled physician. Which brings me to the conclusion of this email. I have a small but heartfelt request….
Medical Field Chris has the interview to get into Tulane on Wednesday. I’m already rooting for this person I do not even know. I believe in him (or her!). Sometimes you just know, so you trust instinct. You’ve almost read to the bottom line. There is no special offer or secret deal. There is only a simple request that you offer your love and care and prayers to Medical Field Chris and ask that he does well in his interview. I believe in this person, a complete stranger.
So, Ace that interview, Chris, and please send a note back someday so I can drone on again about you in another email letting the readers know you’re in medical school and are truly, unequivocally Medical Field Chris, for life!
Thanks for reading to the bottom line!
Agatha Breast Cancer Saint Medal, Patron Saint Cancer Patients, Especially Breast Cancer
Saints for Sinners$29.95
Raphael the Archangel, Hand-Painted Medal, Patron of Love, Healing, Happy Meetings
Saints for Sinners$20.00