Encountering Grace

There were his shoes. Sitting by the door.  Just as he left them. Day after day they sat there, reminders of the gap of his presence.

Daddy?  Hospital? the little voices rang.

Yes, dear ones, Daddy is in the hospital.  He loves you so much and can't wait to come home.

Long days, longer nights.  Exhaustion strickens.

But Grace upholds.

Midnight calls, pleas for help, Grace comes.  Without excuse, without complaint, Grace shows up and sits.

Phone calls, visits, texts, prayers, food.

Grace extended.

As I sat on the hospital bed, with beeps and tubes and needles, holding the hand of my love, we speak of this Grace that comes and keeps on coming.  Freely and unencumbered.

We weep.

Grace sustains.

What is this? This miracle of sustenance--showers of manna, everyday covering our ground.  Funny at how the word, "manna," in Hebrew means, "What is this?"  What is this that comes and feeds and allows us to live, even as we encounter the desert of life?

Grace is gift.

And all we can do is to go out and gather this "what is it?" every morning, unable to repay what has been given. But to accept what has been offered and gather enough for the day, knowing that tomorrow more will be there.

We live.

Thanks be to the Great Physician...                                                                                            and to the people of God.  

Through you, we have seen God.

ps. I will continue to copy and paste here, until I can get the kinks worked out with Wordpress (about updating everything-belongs.com to your readers).