Memos from the Middle

Mary Jo

There’s a woman named Mary Jo in the same ICU as my husband. I don’t know her. I’ve never even seen her. But I know she’s there because her sister and I have spent the better part of these last 10 days together. Waiting. She spends her time answering customer service calls, working remotely. I spend mine praying and writing.

A weird and instant camaraderie develops in an ICU waiting room. We each come with our “stuff.” Mary Jo’s sister comes with three computer screens, one mouse, a headset, and a cooler filled with food. I come with a blanket, a pencil pouch, two bottles of water, and my laptop. Mary Jo’s sister is generous with her meals, and I give her the daily bread I have. Periodically, one of us will disappear behind the doors to sit with our loved one. There are no good-byes or see ya laters because we don’t know if either is true. What we do know is that we are friends, the only way strangers in an ICU waiting room can be.

As I was studying and talking with God this morning, I thought about Mary Jo and her sister. There is no monopoly on suffering. We all have our share. But how do we show up when hardship slams into our lives?

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”
Proverbs 24:10

Mary Jo’s sister said that she has been dealing with Mary Jo’s health issues for over 40 years. She’s been prepared by experience to handle waiting. Muscle memory kicks in for her. She has that special hospital cooler. She knows exactly how to pack and unpack that computer equipment. My husband has never been sick like this before. These last ten days have been both unique and harrowing. I’ve cried more than I ever have. But my muscle memory is kicking in, too. I know how to praise God in advance. I know how to find comfort in His word. I know that the blood of Jesus still works. And I’m prepared to handle this challenge, too, by faith.

Friend, you don’t have to be with Mary Jo’s sister and me to find yourself waiting. You don’t have to be schlepping stuff into a hospital to be suffering. But if you have Jesus and you rely on Him, your strength is never small. You can make it through this day of adversity. You can weather this storm.

And while you wait, whisper a prayer for all the Mary Joes and their loved ones. We are not strangers, for we all know what it is to wait.