Snow. I wasn’t sure I’d see any this year. I was wrong. Last week I was in my hometown in Virginia and watched as 12” of cold, white precipitation fell from the sky. It was so beautiful. I had forgotten how lovely the snow is reflecting light at night. It’s almost as bright as daytime. Now I know what you’re thinking… She didn’t have to drive in it. True. But it wasn’t long before snow plows had cleared the street in front of Mom’s house. You see, they’re prepared for snow up there. They even have plow blades that attach to the garbage trucks. They may not be picking up garbage, but they certainly know the streets of the city.
I was very glad for the advance preparation for snow removal on this particular trip. I was there to visit with my mother. She had been sick with a virus and I wanted to be sure she was on the mend. Unfortunately, she became very ill one night. After observing her for most of the next day, my brother and I decided that transporting her to the hospital was the thing to do. I have never been so glad that the roads were cleared and the ambulance could travel down the streets with no worries. My brother, sister-in-law and I waited with Mom in the ER for 8 hours. When her condition was finally evaluated, she was admitted. She has been in the hospital for about a week so far.
Here’s the thing – Mom hasn’t really required overnight assistance thus far. Normally, she would have caregivers during her waking hours and had been able to manage the nighttime hours herself. But I happened to be there when bad things began to happen. I had debated about postponing my trip because of the weather predictions but decided that I could make it if I timed it right. When I’m there at night, I often hear Mom coughing some and that usually subsides after a while. Something made me go in to check on her and I realized that she needed assistance. It wasn’t clear that she needed to be transported until after the roads were plowed. My brother and his wife were able to navigate the roads from their house (nearly 50 miles) to the hospital with little problem.
I believe that God put me there at that time for a reason. He enabled safe travel for the ambulance and for my brother in adverse driving conditions. He helped us remain calm enough to recognize how sick Mom really was. Sure, Mom is 90 years old. Her time with us is short. But it is clear to me that God has control of her life and she will leave us when her time comes. It just didn’t happen to be last week.
I am so grateful for a loving and compassionate Father! Submitted by Linda Wheeler
