When in need

You never know from one day to another what will come at you, and even at times when schedules are worked out well in advance, there always seems to be room for adjustments. Sometimes these additions are unexpected, but they turn out to be absolute moments of grace.

Today I was asked to visit with a patient in the hospital. As it turns out, he's younger than I and is very lucky. He blacked out, the result of a drug-induced state (he believes) and came just too close to dying. Seeing him today, he's still unstable, very tired, and his body is healing - he was very lucky indeed. As it stands, he is being given medical attention to help his body heal, but what of his spirit, what of his mind, what of his soul?

He's been told that once he's stable enough, he has an opportunity to partake in a rehabilitation program. I think he's been down that road before, and just might be kicking himself right about now because he's convinced that the first time through wasn't so successful. However there are a few bright lights in his life: a little girl who hasn't had a chance to get to know him too much, but who he would love to have the chance to know and love, members of his extended family who have loved him and who continue to stand by his side, and now an outsider who is willing to visit, to chat, to be frankly honest and to help him be all that he can be.

At moments like these, we realize that life is oh so fragile, and that it can be and is abused all too often. While tragedy strikes in another part of the world, we don't really have to look that far to find those who truly need our help.