Over the weekend, a small health scare landed me in the emergency room at Merit Health River Region.

I’m alright, and on the mend, but thought it was an interesting coincidence that, days after I and others celebrated 20 years of Merit Health in Vicksburg, I’d find myself in need of the hospital’s services.

While there, in the waiting room I saw people in varying degrees of distress come through the doors. A person with a gunshot wound arrived, writhing in pain. A stabbing victim was wheeled in on a gurney. An individual with chest pains was sitting in the corner.

And then, there was me, scared to death because I didn’t know what was going on with me.

However, after leaving the hospital later that night, I had a few thoughts.

My first thought was that every hospital employee I encountered treated me with respect, kindness and compassion. They all genuinely seemed to care about my wellbeing, from the security guard stationed at the entrance to the cowboy boot-clad nurse who brought me some water and aspirin before telling me my test results.

My second thought was, while the emergency room wasn’t exactly a five-star resort in terms of amenities, the people working there were clearly doing the best they could with the resources at hand to make sure I and others in need of medical attention were cared for.

The final thought came as I arrived back home, preparing to rock my baby to sleep a little later than normal.

When walking out of the hospital, I saw two women standing on the sidewalk outside the emergency room. They’d both entered the building while I was waiting in the lobby, and though I tried not to eavesdrop, both identified themselves as the shooting and stabbing victims’ mothers, respectively.

The security guard stationed at the front desk simply told them, “I’m sorry, I can’t let you back. But I can tell you they’re working on him and I will call you to let you know when you can go back.”

Settled into the rocking chair in my daughter’s nursery, I held her close and patted her back as I kissed her cheek.

I thanked God that I wasn’t away from her in the hospital, or worse, sitting outside the emergency room waiting for word that she’d be okay.

We never appreciate the resources we have in our community, until we’re in desperate need of them. Thank a local health care worker today.