From the first moment
That the Manhattanite shook my hand,
I liked her.
"Good handshake!" I thought,
Recalling Daddy's lesson
On the importance of a strong handshake.
She and I
Spanned an enormous breadth
Of love and friendship
In the few months we physically spent together
As she worked and lived in Brooklyn.
She moved back to her North Carolina hometown
Almost four years ago,
But I can still recall
The (somewhat) controlled chaos
Of her Gravesend apartment,
And the warm welcome
That I always received there.
I remember
The night we sat parked in her car after work,
And she turned on the CD
Kingsborough Hymns
By the Park Slope offshoot of Redeemer.
The first track was
"Encompassed with Clouds of Distress."
I listened,
And it smacked me,
And I wept.
"The Lord has His hand on you!"
The Manhattanite gently told me.
Those were the most comforting words,
And boy,
Was she right!
Father,
I am distressed now,
Distressed because my friend
Sits in a North Carolina hospital,
Awaiting emergency surgery
For a perforated bowel.
Please help her!
Please heal her!
Please let the doctors find
The source of the perforation,
So that they can successfully close it.
Father.
All life and death is in Your Hands,
And I ask You
To restore the fullness of health and life
To the Manhattanite.
Anointed One,
Master Physician and Healer of bodies and souls,
Touch my friend,
To make her whole once more.
Holy Spirit,
Comfort her in triage,
Be with her and her medical team during surgery,
And facilitate healing in the hours, days, and weeks ahead.
Father,
Even though I'm on the bus,
You understand
The prostrate posture
Of my heart before You...
Hear me, O Merciful One!
Allow us to fulfill our dreams
Of shared, new memories,
Face to face,
In North Carolina,
Or Arizona...
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