In Ohio

This week I am in Ohio with my dad, my sister, my sister in law and my great niece (who is basically uber-great, by the way). Oh yeah. And with John.

He is in ICU and we are allowed just a few minutes every 4 hours to be with him. When I am there and say, 'Hi John', whether his eyes are closed or not, he reaches out and holds my hand. Have I ever held his hand like this before? It is profoundly comforting. He is distracted by the fight of his life and yet he makes the effort to ease my distress. When he notices my tears, he smiles. When I told him his best ever child-hood friend called me to see how he was and to pass on his prayers, John said, 'oh, that must be hard for him to know how sick I am'.

All of us are hugging and blinking back tears while we are with each other. We are uttering those heart-good words to each other and about each other. And I pray for a miracle.

If I hold your hand more than you think is necessary, know that it is necessary for me!