Saturday, August 16, 2014

Dear God,

You make us to be your hands, feet, and heart.  You touch us through tender caring hands.  You love us through generous gifts.  You speak words of comfort and hope.  You are very present in every situation!

Sometimes we forget how close you are.  We go about our business without thought of your spirit close as our breath.  We awaken and go about our daily lives, eating, drinking, and being merry.  When life darkens or our life takes a sudden turn or twist or our health plummets, we cry out to you forgetting that a gentle whisper is all it takes.

This morning my husband fell ill.  I heard a thud and came rushing up the basement steps. Dizzy, pale, clammy, and cold, I knew something was seriously wrong.  I called an emergency number and the dispatcher spoke with me until help arrived.  She asked me to take his pulse and give her information regarding his situation.  Her voice comforted me as I did as she asked.  In minutes a rescue team arrived to take over.  Although he was completely conscious of everything that was happening and his vitals looked good, they recommended he be checked out at a local hospital.  They tenderly moved him to the ambulance and took him on the fifteen-minute ride.  When I arrived, the nurses were doing their work.  A doctor had already greeted him ordering tests.  By nightfall he was feeling better and his vitals continued to look good.  The doctor decided an overnight stay would be good so they could observe him monitoring all his systems.  The night nurse gave him all his meds and met his every need. 

When I bid him goodnight, I recognized how you had been present in every person who had ministered to him.  You had been with him on the kitchen floor.  You rode with him in the ambulance.  You were first to welcome him to the hospital.  You put your hands on him in the emergency room.  You comforted, encouraged, fed, and cared for him.  You whispered your love as he gave way to sleep.

No day
goes by
that you
do not care
for us.
Your living spirit
holds us
and reaches out
to us.
We may not
always recognize
your presence
but when
we pause
and reflect,
we can
find signs
of your coming.
Thank you,
O Lord,
for being present today.

Love, Andrea