Where, Finally, She Finds a Blessing In Disappointment

"And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."   ---Romans 5:5

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It was gonna be simple. Tom drove the 2 blocks to our dentists' office to replace a small filling.

But during the procedure he gagged twice and our Old-Guy-Dentist gave-up. Phttt! Scribbled out a script for a consultation with a faraway dentist who does sedation procedures.

Gah. In 25 years, our previous dentist handled Tom's gagging reflex fine (but then, Tom inherited amazing teeth and rarely has glitches, unlike his sorry-toothed wife).

Well, he came home disappointed and miffed. When he mentioned the sedation part, my mind raced back to that 20/20 dentist-sedation episode which (pretty much) declared, "Only submit to dental sedation if you're considering dying and want an easy way out."

Er hem. (Yes, that episode was decades ago and things are safer. I'm just showing you where my mind zoomed.)

Tom even called our Young-Guy-Dentist, who he prefers, to see if he'd fill the tooth, but no: he also recommended the consultation. (It smelled a bit too much like, "I don't want to upset my boss," to us.)

And that's when I stopped loving our so-close-I-always-walk-and-people-are-happy-there dentists' office. Both those dentists majorly disappointed me.

Well, Tom took off time from work and drove into 'the city' (as I call it), for the consultation. Everyone was super-nice he said. He made an appointment.

So this past Friday:

I had to drive Tom both ways. City traffic and ol' Debra are not a fair match.

(The drive home I did recall--and take--the favored back route Young Me used to rely upon.)

At the office, I had to sign a paper stating, "If you catch covid while in our waiting room, don't even think about suing us."

They took my temperature! Eegads. My goal since 2020 was to avoid that. But now? No way out. Grr.

Tom was downright loopy. They brought him inside via a wheelchair (the rule).

Not a single magazine was in the waiting room (germy old things). Fortunately I brought books, plus, the tv played HGTV, my 2  favorite shows, even, before my personal boycott. The result? I've missed nothing these past 2 years.

When they wheeled him out, Tom was even loopier. (Passing yard sale signs on the way home, he kept wishing we could stop. Good grief.)

And let's not even mention what it was like getting him up our three little stairs inside. sigh.

Oh, and earlier we had to write a huge check. Huge. The claim will be submitted to our insurance, but still.

And yes, we tried to keep our sense of humor. But really, this was a time which tried my soul and let's just say I kept leaning heavily on God.

And you know what happened when I finally calmed down (and forgave some folks)? It's as though God told me this--

One reason for disappointments? They remind you this world is not your real home. In Heaven, no person, place or thing will ever disappoint you. So in the meantime, only place your full trust and belief in Me. Only I will never let you down upon this Earth.

I liked that spin on disappointment, that letting each instance be a reminder not to expect any perfection here, but rather, to know flawlessness awaits us only in a not-so-far-away Heaven. 

(Now, if I can just recall that while in the upheaval of disappointment some future day in our crazier-by-the-moment world ...)

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”   --- Luke 21:28

And the book I was reading in the waiting room? It's a favorite of mine, Ghost Town Adventure by Rutherford G. Montgomery. It's a fun, nostalgic adventure book and you can even read it here.

Oh, and from now on Tom will make sure he only deals with the young dentist who he really likes. 

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This weekend, Tom and I watched a very cool movie called The Confirmation. A perfect combination of funny and heartwarming. Check out the trailer here. 

Only a little bit of language, otherwise fine. (Although keep in mind my movie recommendations are mostly made for adults. It's been eons since I had to consider which films are all right for young children.)

We watched it free via Prime.

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Oh and did you know postage stamps are going up in price again this month?

It's wild to remember when I first began writing letters I could buy 9 stamps for one dollar. Now that number has dipped to just 1. 

Oh well! Just another reminder of the perfection awaiting in Heaven, right? ツ

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“If you're betrayed, release disappointment at once.
By that way, the bitterness has no time to take root.”
― Toba Beta

Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be.

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15