In the immediate days following Tony's bike accident, the word spread among friends and family. Always was the response, we are praying for you. And What can we do for you?
He was in good hands, so if not previously offered, I would ask for prayers.
In the company of her grandchildren, Tony's sister prayed for him. Her five year old grandson asked that Tony's ribs be healed. It touched us deeply.
My mother asked if she could let my cousins and her siblings know about Tony. She asked because I have a sister who when suffering hardship keeps it private. No one is allowed to know or to ask her how she or her family are doing. We respect her wishes.
So I told my mother "of course," you can let family know-- and then I added something that I wouldn't fully understand until a day later: We are all connected. They can't do anything but we care about each other.
That "day later," I received a 5:47 a.m text from my friend Janita: I've prayed for surgery and recovery to go well--for Tony's body, mind, and spirit.
This touched me deeply.
My friend didn't stop. She added that she prayed for me, for my daughters and for my grandchildren, because she knew they were worried. And then My dear friend said that she would be praying during his surgery for the medical team working on Tony.
By now, I was crying. I needed to cry. I hadn't cried yet. And I was so grateful to my incredible and sensitive friend.
In addition to Janita's texts, I learned that Uncle Fred had called my mom, in tears, because of sadness for Tony. And my Uncle Rick had asked his whole family to pray for Tony...
and the epiphany came.
I saw the power of prayer differently. Not only is it communication with God but an intercommunication between us. We are more strongly bonded when we pray for each other. When we bear one another's burdens. In these moments of offered prayers, I loved my family, my friends, myself even more. We are all interconnected--the human family.
And God provided a way for us to be so.
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