I have noted to some close to us that life is a serendipitous and precarious. I visited the hospital on Monday of this week to see our son Mitch while he is still laboring under the process of chemotherapy and awaiting a bone marrow transplant. Shortly after leaving the hospital, our daughter, Charese, called us from another hospital in town to announce the birth of Eli Joshua Pettis, our fourth grandchild and her first child. We then skipped off to another hospital. That is life. The Lord makes a child in his image, repeated over and over again. Side by side, is the evidence of living in a broken and fallen world. Brokenness and healing live side by side. Hurt and joy are close by.
But, if we look closely enough, it is not difficult to see God’s grace and mercy and love in all of it. He has a way of taking things that seem upside down and make them seem like part of a plan. He, similarly, takes something of great joy and leaves us humbled and filled with a quiet thanks.
So, now, three days later, Mitch and Eli are both in their respective homes. The older one has no hair. The three-day-old has plenty of hair. Eli will likely stay in his home for a long time. Mitch will scoot off to the cancer center soon. But, for now, they are home- in many senses of home. We are all home as a family. We are in a good place. We are close, together, hopeful and privileged. God gives peace that passes understanding and curious signs of his presence in every situation. Some situations, we have to look carefully. Others its more conspicuous. But, He’s there. He’s here.