In September of 2017, Hurricane Maria impacted Florida after causing immense devastation in the Caribbean. My mom and dad were safely sheltered for several days in the high school while most of their town dealt with power outages and storm damage. In October of the same year, my father needed surgery followed by convalescence at a rehab facility. I visited them at the end of October, and it quickly became apparent that dad would not be able to return home. Soon after, I knew that it was becoming a challenge for mom to juggle all her responsibilities without help. It wasn’t possible to offer much support from Massachusetts, and I could not make regular trips to Florida.
Many Sudbury UMC members of my generation have gone through this challenging journey. As an only child, I knew that it would be up to me to try and find a solution. I prayed diligently for many months and wondered why God was not answering my prayers. I finally realized that unlike J.K. Rowling’s hero Harry Potter, God does not have a magical wand! I reluctantly came to the realization that I would have to make decisions on behalf of my parents and arrange to move them to Massachusetts, all the while depending on God to lead me to sound decisions.
Finally, in January of 2019 it was time to put the plans into motion. While I was angry at God that a seamless and elegant solution was not laid at my feet, I realized that God was indeed working to the benefit of us all. I knew that I would need a nurse to help dad during the trip. I contacted a nursing service in Florida to figure out the logistics involved to hire someone to make the trip with us. At the same time, a fellow congregant from mom and dad’s church, named Lewis, suggested to mom that he could help during the trip and would be happy to accompany us. Lewis is a retired nurse! I was truly overjoyed. He was someone dad knew, and he would be able to help if there were any health issues during the trip. A few days later, cousins from Seattle, Ursula and Elsie, called to say that they would love to help me with purging and packing mom and dad’s condo. Again, I felt truly blessed that God was watching over us.
The process of moving mom and dad was stressful to say the least. But God sent help in the form of everyday heroes. My cousins kept me and mom laughing the entire time we spent organizing and packing. We all spent ten to twelve days going through a lifetime’s worth of belongings, all the while reminiscing and joking. Lewis was the perfect person to help dad make the 9-hour journey door-to-door, and dad was comfortable traveling with someone he knew. I will never be able to repay them for their help, but they do not require or expect payment. They exemplify Christian love by putting their faith into action.
God does not always answer our prayers in the manner that we want, but He always provides us with the support we need.
-Shetal Kaye
Sudbury UMC Lenten Devotions 