The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.                                                                Lamentations 3:22-23

As many of you know, a few weeks ago, I had a nasty fall down some outdoor steps. This happened on what was the first day of a long-awaited family vacation. I suffered several broken bones and contusions. I was frustrated, angry that our first vacation as a family in twelve years had been marred by this incident, and frankly, humiliated that somehow this had happened.

We did the best we could. We didn’t do perhaps as much as we would have liked, but we were together, which had always been the main objective of the trip anyway. I was able to see where my son goes to graduate school, where he lives and get a feel for the general area.  We toured the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill campus, and saw some of Duke. We attended a Tarheel basketball game, which the reigning national champions won by one-point.  We drove to the coast, saw Carolina Beach and had some great seafood and the best shrimp and grits ever! The vacation itself ended up not being a total loss, although I did a lot of it through a haze of pain medication and hefty fatigue.  

What I’ll really never forget, though, are the things that had nothing to do with the sites we saw and everything to do with the people I love. I’ll remember my tired husband sitting next to me in the emergency room all night long. I’ll remember the way my boys ever so gently lifted my broken body into our truck to take me to the hospital.  I’ll remember how my 16-year-old-daughter helped bathe me and dress me and how she woke up in the middle of the night to make sure I took the right dosage of the right medications. Every single night. 

You see, it wasn’t the vacation any of us wanted, but in the midst of pain, adversity and frustration, it reminded us of how blessed we truly are to have each other. I felt great care and love from my family, well-wishes and prayers from those afar and the hope of good health care to get me back in shape. Not least of all, I was reminded of the love of Christ, a love that didn’t depend on what I looked like or what I could do, a love that was going to sustain me that week and in the weeks to come, as I worked on gaining back strength and range-of-motion.  I couldn’t help but think of the song we all learned as little children and its words  continued to fill my head and give me strength. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. They are weak, but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  The Bible tells me so.” 

Prayer: Let us pray; In our weakest moments, Jesus, you do not abandon us. You surround us with compassion and envelop us in your loving care. Thank you for being there when we need you and sustaining us in moments that feel unbearable. Thank you for your unending love.  Amen.