I am at the wrong Walgreens location. I scheduled on Osage and 34th, not Bell and 34th. 🤦🏿♀️ Furthermore, I must do the test in the drive up lane; I took an Uber here.
I walk away from the pharmacy area. I am standing near the freezer aisle, likely looking as puzzled as I feel.
...
Today, I've called four to five different entities asking the same questions. I'd like a respiratory panel to test for Adenovirus and Parainfluenza 3. Each entity confirmed they only offer COVID, flu, Strept, and RSV tests.
I just want confirmation that I do not have a virus that can worsen MJ's condition.
...
A Walgreens team member sees me, stops, and asks if she can help. "Yes. Please!" She spoke to the pharmacist. He agreed to test me in the store's clinic area as soon as he could.
Throughout my inquiry and wait, I notice a woman. She also has that look. I sit next to her. I overhear a conversation.
She just wants her child's prescription. She obtains RxBIN and PCN information from Medicaid. She gives it to the pharmacy technician. It doesn't work. The medication costs $25.99. She does not have it.
She sits back down, gets back on the phone, and keeps trying. Of course, she does. She's a worn-out, determined advocate. She is the middle person in an overly complicated process.
The policy is active, but the information does not pull when run by the pharmacy. Her frustration is palpable even though she doesn't argue or protest. She sits back down, gets back on the phone, and keeps trying.
I have a moment of "Don't get involved, LeKechia. You're being nosey. This isn't your problem." There's also a loud inner prompting: "You thought this was about you and MJ, but God is going to get glory in her life."
I say "Ma'am" in that way Karina mimics so well. "Come on. Let's get your baby's medicine." She looks at me and immediately starts to cry and tell me her story.
I reminded her that "God sees you. You're doing the best you can. It's not that you're not doing enough. It shouldn't be this hard."
That message was for her and me. Two women just trying to make sure our little humans are okay. We decide not to hug. (Her baby's sick. My baby's sick.) But, we exchanged a renewing energy.
My hope for her is that they get the job that enables them to move out of that hotel into a comfortable, safe environment to care for their baby and selves without lack or bureaucracy.
I was at the wrong Walgreens at the wrong time, and I was in the right place at the right time.
Side note: I struggle when it comes to telling "good deeds" publicly.
I always think about Matthew 6. I do not want to be among "the hypocrites...blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity" who "have received all the reward they will ever get." (Matthew 6:2 NLT) Also, I have been the recipient of so much quiet generosity. I appreciate it and those individuals so; I want to reciprocate and emulate that goodness.
This isn't bragging. It's about trust and positioning. It is about how we are strategically placed in the paths of one another. And, that, dear friends, I am convinced is not coincidence. In that way, this is about faith.
