With only two weeks to prepare, my daughter-in-law's sister needed my help in planning and executing her wedding reception. I was happy to do what was needed. On the wedding day I took time off from work, and my son came home early from his job to help deliver items to the reception location. On one of my brisk trips back and forth, I tripped and, trying not to break the dishes I was carrying, landed forcefully on one leg and knee. Stunned, but with dishes intact, I managed to get up and hobble to my car to wait until my son returned. He could see the agony on my face, and with his loving help, I managed to get home.
Lying on my bed, with the wedding just hours away, I turned to the Bible Lesson found in the Christian Science Quarterly. That week it included the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The way he refused to let the enemy distract him from his holy work made me stop and think. I prayed to see the unreality of accident and injury because they do not originate in God, and to understand that these "enemies" could not stop my labor of love. They had "no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem" (Neh. 2:20). And accident and injury have no place in a joyous wedding, because they have no place in the whole scheme of God's creation. I prayed fervently to understand that I could not be prevented from accomplishing my work as Love's expression.
Although my leg was still painful, I managed to place flower arrangements at the church and enjoy the marriage ceremony. At the reception, unable to move without much discomfort, I delegated work. When it was time to leave, my loving sons carried me seated on a chair from the reception and then into my home. I felt so clearly that "the eternal God" was my refuge, "and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). I felt God's tender love.
