Whidbey Island, July 2012
This July—as with every July—Mary and I remember.
Specifically, we remember July 2012, when Mary lost her balance while cycling on Whidbey Island, Washington. As she began to fall, she was struck by a passing pickup truck. The days that followed were intense. Life-altering in the truest sense.
The reflection below is adapted from a post I wrote at the end of our time in the trauma center in Seattle. I share it again today as a kind of stone of remembrance—a sacred marker of God’s presence in our pain.
I had crafted my game plan with the Occupational Therapist. I had practiced the drill.
But when Allison, Mary’s Physical Therapist, suggested that I completely manage Mary’s exit from her hospital bed—her careful navigation to a portable commode, and then her gentle return—my heart skipped a beat.
Still, I agreed to embrace the challenge. More importantly, so did Mary. With a gait belt secured around her waist, I gently—yet confidently—lifted her from the edge of the bed to a standing position. She stood, all her weight shifted appropriately to her right side. I clung to her. Really clung to her. And she clung right back.
In the middle of room 605 at Harborview Hospital in Seattle, we held each other like never before. It wasn’t romantic—it was glorious. It wasn’t simply functional—it was beautiful. Thirty-four years of marriage distilled into one necessary embrace. And in that embrace, the essence of commitment, love, and tenderness found expression.
Spontaneously, Mary kissed my neck.
I had never been kissed like that before—never with such gratitude, such hope, such promise, such trust.
Minutes later, I returned her to bed. But buried in that 30-minute caregiver dress rehearsal, I heard wedding vows from 34 years earlier echo in my mind and land on my heart—a chorus of joy, hope, praise, and worship. We were safe in each other’s arms.
On April 8, 1978, I had made a promise – to her parents, our friends, and our Father. And in this moment, that promise came true again.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
– Jeremiah 31:3
{ 0 comments… add one now }