February 7: Sick Kid, Good Friend, Holy Moses

Well, my son is sick.  Again.  His Headstart teacher called this afternoon to tell us he had a fever.  My wife picked him up.  I knew that he had a cold.  He was coughing a lot last night, the kind of cough that sounds watery and full of illness.  I'm hoping he's feeling better when I get home. after taking a good, long nap.  He'll be home from school tomorrow, as well.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have to take him to his pediatrician.  I really don't want to add to the doctor's bills.

This morning, a good friend stopped by the medical office where I work to say "hi" and "Happy Valentine's Day."  He has to be away next week, so he wanted to drop off his box of chocolates early.  He brought me an book titled A Branch from the Lightning Tree:  Ecstatic Myth and the Grace in Wilderness.  (My friend knows I'm teaching mythology this semester, and he's also a retired professor from the university.)  He was an unexpected blessing in my day, and he truly lifted my spirits.  After a day-and-a-half of being in the toilet, mood-wise,  it was nice to see the sun for a little while.

Holy Moses

Today's patron saint is Moses.  Not the Charlton Heston, parting-the-Red-Sea Moses.  No, this guy lived most of his life as a hermit in the wilderness between Syria and Egypt.  Eventually, because of his reputation for holiness (yes, he was called holy Moses), he was consecrated as a bishop and spent the rest of his time on Earth converting the nomads of the Syro-Arabian desert to Christianity.  Moses accomplished all these things through prayer and fasting and friendship.  He listened and helped people.

I've had to struggle in the last day to feel like anybody is listening to me.  My wife and I had a counseling appointment tonight, and I was actually looking forward to it,  just so I could unload about some of the stress I've been experiencing.  Because my son got sick, we had to reschedule with our counselor.  I need a holy Moses right now.  A person who will care, who will make me feel like everything's going to be fine.

My friend this morning was a holy Moses.  In the few minutes we were together, he helped me more than he realized.

Saint Marty was blessed this morning.  Thank you holy Moses.