Yesterday I was on the phone trying to process two medical referrals with our family doctor's office. The "on hold" time was about 1/2 an hour and when the referral-person answered, she asked me to wait an additional 10 minutes.

I was annoyed but when she came back to take the necessary information for the referrals, I still did my utmost to provide the correct information and correct spellings of names, etc.

All of a sudden she launched into a tirade: "Do you think I am stupid? Do you think I cannot spell? I'll have you know I graduated first grade so you can quit with the simpleton attitude...yadda yadda yadda."

I apologized if I sounded annoyed in any way and asked if we could start over. She continued to demean me, but I hung in there to get the referral process started.

This morning I spoke to the office manager, who said the woman indeed was not herself lately. After we spoke a bit and I identified myself as a nurse, the manager admitted that the woman I had spoken to had breast cancer, and that she learned recently that it had spread. What a terrible situation! (I have faced multiple stereotactic biopsies and am now being closely followed up for a localized breast situation)

So I expressed complete support for the woman and am praying that God will forgive me for every mean thing I thought about that "referral-rep" yesterday following our phone conversation.

Sometimes when people are really rude to us, it might be because they are carrying a cross which has become, at least temporarily, too heavy to bear.

Yes, there are naturally creepy people out there, and they deserve to hear about it in my opinion, but there are others who are just trying to get through the day because of their own personal pain or misfortune.

Yesterday, I got a dose of the latter. Thank God I took the high road with her. (At least I hope I did)