Saturday, June 26, 2021                     (today’s lectionary)
Cover Margaret’s heart pillow with signatures and blessings
Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot.
Getting home tonight after 11 hours at the hospital, while Margaret moved late in the afternoon from ICU to Room 372 in the new part of the hospital just above the helipad and ambulance bays, and I hung out with her, rubbed her feet, helped Christalay move her Stuff and ate a few sandwiches of pimento cheese and salami … as I was saying, getting home tonight after talking to several friends and clients, and facetiming them with Margaret so they could be happy together that things are going so well, I drove past the swimming pool where I wanted to stop, I got our mail and noticed there were no parking places anywhere near our apartment, and all the while the day was growing hot in this sort of desert city not that different from Mamre, from the nomadic home of Abraham.
But then. Our apartment was stifling because the illustrious Texas electric board (ERCOT) has asked us to leave our thermostats at 85 when we aren’t home. It saves money, yes. It protects us from unexpected blackouts, yes. And I can turn the thermostat down when I get home. 90 minutes later, the air is cooler.
No, I am not complaining.
Abraham saw three men standing nearby. He bowed to the ground. “Sir, let some water be brought that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves.”
In the hot apartment, I couldn’t find the charging case for my cool new Anker lookalike airpods. I couldn’t find Margaret’s tennis shoes. I broke three nice “tool” ballpoint pens, trying to make one work. But I am not complaining, and I felt glad to be here, in our sweet, first floor apartment where Margaret will be recovering nicely in a week or so.
Abraham and Sarah made bread, slaughtered a steer, got some curds and milk and set these before them. One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son. Is anything too marvelous for the Lord?”
And then I remembered where I put the charging case. And then I actually did fix one of my cool tool pens. I hope Margaret’s tennis shoes are in the car. I drank all the grapefruit juice left in the jar. I began looking forward to supper and sleep. And I relaxed. I remembered that there is no hurry.
In Room 372, Margaret’s red heart pillow is covered with signatures, like your high school yearbook. I wrote, “Dear Margaret, you have more than enough. Love, Dave.” Although the physical therapists missed meeting with her today, she’s getting stronger on her own. Every time she sits up on the side of the bed, she requires less assistance.
Both Andi and Margaret are teaching me to be thankful and patient rather than nitpicky and irritated. Being Margaret’s hospital advocate does require a certain assertiveness, with my eyes looking straight at whoever I’m talking to, struggling to say clearly what we want, not how upset I am that we don’t have it, and when I can, remembering who’s in Charge. We have had so many super helpful, going-out-of-their-way nurses and doctors over the last three weeks. Only once has there been a situation where my insistence made an important difference.
The Lord has remembered his mercy. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Jesus drives out the spirits by a word and cures all the sick.
It feels right to talk about the tiny details of our lives. Today I’ll go back to Room 372, watch the helicopter come and go as we did yesterday, and do my best to insist that physical therapy make up today for what they missed yesterday. Perhaps they will. In the meantime, Miles and Jasper will bring their parents to our apartment pool for a morning dip. The clear cool water will cover and surround them. They will scream and holler, happy beyond bounds. Perhaps Andi will bring us a video to watch. And we will remember our healing.
You may go, Jesus said. As you have believed, let it be done for you. And at that very hour, the centurion’s son was healed.
(Genesis 18, Luke 1, Matthew 8)
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