Road Tripping

Yesterday I kept my friend Mary company on the long drive to Houston for a doctor's appointment.

I'd never been out of the Valley going northeast so it was an interesting ride--from the one lane construction luge in Edinburg to the two-lane roads on the way to Corpus Christi and Victoria to the interstate into Houston proper. The retail and the restaurants on the outskirts of Houston made me drool. (Which makes me think, Seriously, ME, you're getting all excited about driving by good retail? The answer: Yes, yes, OMG, yes!)

Mary mentioned there's a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurias, which is easily a 90-minute drive from the border itself. This checkpoint throws a wrench in the YW leaving the Valley for Girl's Camp. Apparently, some YW, parents or advisors aren't in the U.S. legally and can't get through the checkpoint coming or going.

This led to an interesting discussion about "We believe in being subject to the laws of the land" vs If God is no respecter of persons, does that include immigration status? And can we be united as a body of believers if some folks get bent out of shape about illegal immigrants in the ward/stake?

We got into Houston early, so we stopped for Chinese food before the Dr. appointment. After a 45-minute wait (a phenomenon not confined to the RGV), Mary was called back to wait another 45 minutes before being seen by a doctor other than the one she'd made an appointment with. The pinch-hitter was unsympathetic, unhelpful, prescribed meds Mary already tried and told her to come back in 6 months. That's all.

The palpable disappointment and frustration made the drive home seem twice as long. After we got out of the city, I offered to take the wheel. Mary was spent emotionally and physically, so it was the least I could do. We were less chatty on the way back, both from fatigue and the let-down. Once home, I posted my column and went to bed.

This morning, I got an email from Mary thanking me for going with her and apologizing for crying and being weak. I wrote back and said there was nothing to apologize for--she was just being human. Like the Kleenex commercial says, tears don't compromise strength.