Reminder's Cross

I had such a lovely surprise at work yesteday! A former patient, one I first met when I was working as an oncology nurse, dropped by. I received word that I was needed at the front desk and when I looked out there, I saw a familiar face.

Last time I saw this kind lady, she was in for a procedure at my current place of employment. We'd had a fun time reconnecting. At some point she commented on the cross necklace I was wearing that day and mentioned a necklace she'd like for me to have, made by someone here in Wyoming. Truthfully, I'd forgotten about that...until she showed up today with this:

Isn't that cool? It came with a card that told me it was a "Reminder's Cross". The artisans name is Rob Wemmer. Below are the words on that little card.

"This is your Hand Made Reminder's Cross. Every Element of this Cross is a Reminder of the events at the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Nails remind of the Spikes used to place Him on the Cross. The wire reminds of our Faith, which binds us to our Christianity. It can also remind of the Crown of Thorns placed upon His head. The leather cord reminds us of the Whips used to Beat Jesus. Look at the knots. They are wrapped in the Fisherman's Knot, for Jesus said, "Come Follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of Men (Mat 4:16A Mk 1:17)-Also, the knots are wrapped 3 times for in 3 days, Jesus Rose! All of the elements combined make up your Reminder's Cross. "Hope that you wear it with all reverences and Respect to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior."

When I wear it, I will also be reminded of, and grateful for, the remarkably thoughtful and kind people I have met in my life. 

If you are interested in a Reminder's Cross, there is a contact email address listed on the card as well: robwemmer@hotmail.com

Why the Cross?

This is me getting ready for work Wednesday morning.

There are certain things I need to accomplish before I am ready to head out the door:

• Secure my hair so I don't drop DNA on my patients.
• Find my name tag from my purse so I don't have to write my name on a piece of tape (not classy).
• Turn the sound off on my cell phone.
• Load my pockets with a pen, my key used at work, my cell phone and maybe some lip gloss that I won't remember is in my pocket until I'm heading back home.  I have a weird little system of putting work things like the pen and key in my right pocket and my personal items in my left pocket.  
• Choose a cross necklace for the day.

That last bullet point is very important to me.  I will give you an example of why.

Awhile back I entered a room to get a patient ready for a procedure.  I'd not met him before and knew only his name, his physician's name and what procedure he was to have that day.  Not long after I started filling out his paperwork with him he began telling me a lot of things about his past.  He had a criminal background, family troubles and a lot of other stories.  After quite awhile of talking he suddenly stopped and said, "Why am I telling you all this?  I never tell people anything about myself!"  I said some things to put him at ease.  He told me more things.  After starting his IV I had my hand on the doorknob when I turned and asked him if he'd like me to pray for him.  He just seemed so frightened and alone. He was eager for my prayer, so I prayed, leaving the room soon after the prayer.

Later, I peeked in to see how he was doing.  I was telling him that I don't always ask patients if they want me to say a prayer but that something told me he would appreciate it.  He then told me that he knew why I was prompted to pray for him.  He went on to say that before he came in for his procedure, he had a strong feeling that he was going to die that day.  After the prayer, he told me that feeling was gone.  Oh my!

My patient later told me he figured out why he told me his life story like he'd done.  He said it was because I was wearing a cross.