Dear Friends,
We got home yesterday. I thought I would more or less pick up with chores and stuff where I left off last Friday, but have had to break in pretty slowly.
We started getting caught up with Shayley last evening. She looked a year older than she did last week. Of course she is an author now! The extra copies of her book, Lyrical Miracle: Creativity in Creation, came in a week ago, just a few hours before my woes hit. (I’ve posted a couple excerpts at 3martins.com.) If anyone has been cornered by my mom in the past week, trying to force you to buy a copy of the book, I’m very sorry. Clearly mom has answered a new calling, peddling books out of the trunk of her car. We do hope to do a little book-reading/book-signing with Shayley at Sweet Providence Farm/Market in a few weeks if anyone is interested, but have not set a date yet.
Tonight Shayley is at a sleep-over party with a friend, so I wanted to follow-up on my email Thursday night. I closed with my prayer of being able to help someone, somehow. After that, I was still restless so Charlie and I and my I-V pole decided to go for a walk in the hospital hallway. It was well after 10 p.m., after the nightly med’s were distributed and most patients’ doors were closed. We passed by one other patient walking slowly with her pole and a woman with her who I’d guess to be her daughter. I watched for eye contact from the mostly-bald patient, and to my surprise she looked up and smiled. We walked on in opposite directions. After Charlie and I rounded the corner and reached the end of the hall and turned to return, our paths crossed again. This time she stopped and clearly wanted to talk. I can’t remember how the conversation began, but shortly she asked if I’d visited the beautiful chapel on our floor. Again, I can’t remember how it came up, but she told me she had lung cancer that was now in her spine. The woman with her volunteered that she’s been told she has two weeks to 4 months to live, to which the woman herself added that it’s all in God’s control. She asked if I had cancer, and I explained—with some strange sense of guilt—that had been diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer last year, but right now had no visible tumors. I told her if she’d like to talk more or if she’d like me to pray with her at any time I’d be glad to. She said, “How about now?” She put one arm around me and I one arm around her, and I prayed words that were not mine. I found myself thanking God for His grace and for offering it for our simple willingness to accept. I thanked Him that He was with us and that we would someday be with Him. I could see in her peaceful eyes that she was almost home.
This makes me think of another song. This one by Gail Davies.
Someone Is Looking for Someone Like You
You say that nobody cares where you’re going,
And that your life don’t mean nothing at all.
You’ve heard the saying ‘you reap what you´re sowin,’
So plant a good seed and watch it grow tall.
Somewhere a man´s got no woman to turn to;
Somewhere a woman is lonely and blue;
Somewhere a child’s got no momma to hold her;
Someone is looking for someone like you.You’ve said there’s no road that you care to travel;
Nothing to say that ain’t been said before.
And life’s a mystery that you can’t unravel
Well love’s the key that will open that door.
Think of all the time you waste complaining.
Think of all the good that could be done.
Think of all the friends you could be gaining,
If you lift your hand and help someone.Somewhere a man´s got no woman to turn to;
Somewhere a woman is lonely and blue;
Somewhere a child’s got no momma to hold her;
Someone is looking for someone like you.
I thank God for His love and peace and provision. I thank you all for being that someone for us on this journey. And I pray that God will hold tight all those approaching home tonight.
With love,
Lydeana
