An August that Was and Wasn't

I’m a week late returning to the blogging chair as August ended up being an unexpected journey. As I look at my last post in July, Divine Appointments, I smile at the irony. Some divine appointments definitely happened last month.

The Coles notes version is that my mom fell and broke her hip July 30th and had surgery on the 31st, my last Sunday preaching until Labour Day. What should have been no more than a two week hospital stay filled the whole month due to C difficile and then Covid. Pretty much any plans I had got upended as both my parents needed support throughout this time. I had really needed a holiday after a challenging season and that evaporated.

And yet…as I took two weeks of leave from my day job on either side of the two weeks of vacation I had booked, I marveled at many things. If this had to happen, this was the time - when my partner was off from teaching, when I’d already booked vacation, when I wasn’t preaching or providing pastoral care. God was, and is always, in the details.

When you’re thrown into a family health crisis some things become crucial and clearer than at any other time. Many reading this will have experienced something like this. In the unknowns and darkness, when we are struggling, God shows up. That was definitely the case for me and I found I was experiencing much gratitude in spite of the tough circumstances.

I am profoundly grateful that mom could have surgery the day after her fall and that I received a call right afterwards from the surgeon. I am profoundly grateful that in a month where many hospitals across the province were closing ERs and other departments due to staffing shortages from stress leaves, vacation and those leaving the profession because of the pandemic’s toll and not being valued by government, every department at my local hospital was functioning. Not once did a nurse give me a hard time about phoning with questions, even though I knew they were short-staffed, working over-time and run off their feet.

I am profoundly grateful to key people from my home church where my parents still attend who provided rides, meals, prayers, cards and calls. I was also upheld by the church where I’m now leading worship with prayer, care and offers of help. In our crises there are certain people who get it and are willing to step into the dark with us and light a candle. There were many of those people surrounding us as the days turned to weeks and as mom’s ward went into lock-down and her rehab became confined to her room.

I managed to slip in a few day trips to places I love, thanks to support from my brother. August is a big month for celebrations in our family, and we still somehow pulled them off. I didn’t get a vacation, but I did slide into a different sense of time, a timing even slower than when I was leading worship at my home church in the early days of the pandemic when I couldn’t possibly plan more than a week in advance. August was a time of seeing just a day in advance, while still planning in hope for mom’s return home. There were gifts in that slowing down,, trusting and being intentional with each day.

She is now home and her healing journey continues. She is a fighter and a great example for me of resilience and determination. I have now returned to preaching and my other work. It’s tempting to want to say good riddance to a stressful month. But I pray that what I learned about myself, and God, and God’s people never slides too far from my awareness. I pray that I will have compassion for others walking this kind of journey. I pray that I will never assume that I deserve an easy ride but remember that in the valleys we are reminded of Whose we are and who we are.

May you find rest, comfort and reassurance in your deepest valleys. May brothers and sisters share your path and burden. May you remember Who walks with you.

Happy belated September! I pray that no matter what August was like for you, you found some profound reflection and peace and hope.