There they were walking down the hall together. One was on crutches.  The other one had her left arm plastered in place and hanging in a sling.  For the one it was a softball injury, sliding into second, catching her arm somehow and breaking it.  For the other it was corrective surgery to get her ankles lined up again and, in time, making things the way they were intended to be.  I kinda chuckled to see the sight of our two healing students smiling and making their way down the hall to their classroom.

Yesterday, there were chuckles and laughs along with the tears at the funeral I attended.  It was for my cousin, Tom, who died last week.  We were reminded again that death is not the end.  We were reminded that we belong to Jesus, body soul and in life and in death.  Good News. The Gospel.

This morning we were visited by Mr. Hank, our former custodian.  By all medical standards, Hank should not have survived his injuries incurred ten months ago. Today, Hank spoke to the student body.

He rolled into the gym in his wheelchair to applause from the student body. He talked about the accident, falling to the ground from a height of 25 feet.  He talked about the multiple injuries he incurred, for some, perhaps in too great detail.  He filled us in on his plans for the future.  He made it clear that the reason he was here was because of the goodness of God and the prayers of his people.  At the end of the assembly, we circled around him, all 600+ students and teachers, and prayed.

Maybe it was the nearness of yesterday’s funeral with new grief for the new widow,  or maybe recent chats with a friend, also a widow, who at times experiences old grief in new ways, a year and a half after…, or perhaps yesterday’s sudden passing of a gentleman from our church… or the Mr. Hank visit.  Who knows?  Anyway, this morning all of this affected me, got me thinking.

During Hank’s talk, one of the kindergarteners walked out with her teacher.  She had an upset tummy.  I’m here to report that she is fine, just like the girl in the cast and the one on crutches… and just like Hank…. and just like the grieving families… All fine in the way God is blessing them today.

So, today, I’m thinking about healing, body and soul, because we belong to Jesus, the great healer, making things right, in his time…  which is today’s gift.