Chicken Soup for the Sick

I should have been there. I wanted to be there. I needed to be there. Where? I needed to be in California. Becky has been sick this week and when the baby is sick, Mama needs to be there. If I had been there, I would have taken her to the ER - I'm the one who is supposed to do that. If I had been there, I would have fixed homemade chicken soup and I would have made sure she had plenty of gatorade, juice, 7-Up and whatever else was needed. If I had been there...if I had been there. But I wasn't. Becky had to depend on the love and kindness of friends. We have been blessed. Yes, we have been very blessed. Becky has lived away from home - far away from home - for several years now. And it seems like the Lord has really kept a close eye on her for us. He has placed some of the most wonderful people in her path. I've prayed for the Lord to do just that, and He has answered in ways far greater than I could have expected. When Tim and I can't be there to do what needs to be done, the Lord has always provided people to help her. She has made some friends who will be friends for life because the Lord placed them in her life. Some friends were put there to help her; others were put in her life for her to help them! But either way, the Lord has given Becky some wonderful people in her life.

When we got the phone call that she was going to the ER, Tim and I both felt so helpless. We're 2,500 miles away...not exactly a hop, skip and jump away...not quite close enough to jump up and say "I'll be there in just a little bit, honey." Nope...too far for that! We wanted to get in the car and go to her, but we had to wait. We had just gone to bed and after I hung up the phone we just laid there worrying and waiting for the next phone call. Tim put his arm around me and we prayed. It's all we could do. Pray and wait. That's what our night consisted of. There was NO sleep that night! We prayed and we waited and we took comfort in the knowledge that our Lord was there with her and that He had provided people to be there with her to take care of her. She has been covered in prayer this week and surrounded by people who care. The Lord always provides. He provides just what we need and then some. He is more than enough!

I wanted to be with her so bad I cried. I felt like my child needed me and I wasn't able to be there. But then I realized that maybe I didn't NEED to be there. Perhaps it was all part of a Master plan - a plan bigger than both of us. Yeah, maybe I didn't need to be there. But I know I sure wanted to. The mama in me kicked in big time! I know...I know...she's not a baby. She'll be 26 next week. But she's still my baby and I still want to be the one to take care of her! When am I going to learn that I just need to step out of the way sometimes and let the Lord do what He does best? He takes care of His own. (But is there anything wrong with me wanting to help Him?!) She's doing better now...whew! So I guess I won't be making a trip to California. But you can believe that if it had been something more serious, or if she had said, "Mama I need you...can you come?" that I would have been on the next plane to LA!! After all, that's what Mamas do.