New Friend

Kimmie made a new friend this week.

Kimmie was complaining about her mouth hurting. We couldn't exactly pinpoint a spot that looked like a problem, but Kimmie rarely admits to anything hurting. She's too afraid of going to the doctor or, worse yet, the dentist.

Her dentist is on vacation, so we were given the phone number of the on-call dentist. A new dentist, new staff . . . Dad decided he better meet us there to help hold her still. The dentist did real well with Kimberly. Dad held her arms out of the way while I kept her legs straight so she couldn't dig her feet in and leverage her whole body around. The assistant stood a couple feet away looking a little lost, not knowing what she should do.

When the dentist was finished looking, he received about eight hugs from Kimmie. The assistant received a really nice big hug, too.

When we were leaving, all the staff appeared to breath a sigh of relief, along with smiles and comments about how well it went. I couldn't help but think about how Kimmie had touched some new people that day. I think the dentist and the assistant will remember her and her hugs for a long time.

--Mom