A Few Hours of Joy

I feel blessed, today especially, to be surrounded by faithful friends who are praying for Micah, and all of us. As we entered the church this morning, we were greeted by hugs and encouraging words. But, after recounting the events of the past week at least 20 times, coupled with our inability to sleep well, Steve and I were exhausted. Micah, though, continues to do well. He has rarely complained of stomach pain the last few days and eats up every minute of life (and every snack in the house!) just like he always has.

A friend invited me to her house this afternoon, and I'm so glad I stepped out of the fog and accepted her invitation. We took a cold, brisk walk around her neighborhood, followed by wheat toast with homemade raspberry jam and hot cocoa, complete with mini marshmallows. We talked about life and grief and God's ever-present help through it all, while soothing music played in the background. When I left I felt a little stronger, a little clearer, a little more convinced of God's presence in our suffering. Through my friend's kindness, God also reminded me that He, the ultimate Comforter and Healer, often works through compassionate people who are simply willing to offer their hearts, homes and hot chocolate to the needy.

Meanwhile Steve, in a gallant attempt to catapult us out of despair and back into normalcy, prepared a first-class meal in the spirit of a Japanese steak house. He stir fried rice, noodles, chicken, steak and veggies while juggling the spatula (not the knives, thank goodness) and interacting with his "customers" in the worst Japanese accent I've ever heard. We all clapped, laughed and enjoyed each other and our meal. But most importantly, for a few hours, we made the conscious choice to look at the good in our lives instead of the bad. Hopefully, we'll make that choice more often in the coming days.