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| Smiling Patient |
But...wh...my daughter? She was still in the middle of her senior year of college studies. What would she be doing over a thousand miles away from school? The nurse led me to the lobby, where the visitor awaited. There must be some mistake, I thought as I followed her.
When I got there, someone stood from the couch and came walking in my direction. Yes; it had been some kind of mistake; I did not know this person.
But she grasped my hand and called me "Tomoko-sensei (teacher)", giving me her full name and telling me she had taken piano lessons from "Aiko-sensei", my younger sister. I recognized her then. Her face was still the same. Almost forty years ago, she had come to our home for lessons. After a hug of delighted recognition, we walked back to the room together for a refreshing time of fellowship.
This time, it was not a music lesson, but we had music anyway. Near the end of her visit, we sang "Day by day and with each passing moment", and she was asked to close the visit in prayer. Dad spoke of this time as "the bright spot of my day"; how sweet it was!
In yesterday's morning reading were the clauses, "the singers sang loud", "for God had made them rejoice with great joy", and "so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off" (Neh. 12:42-43) They seemed to echo the happy time of that visit.
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Incidentally, Dad has gotten over his constipation problem. For a few days, he was battling high fever from an infection but is now back to wheelchairs, baths, rehabilitation. And God has moved us to a private room--what a blessing! Thank you for praying. I covet your continued prayers, for Dad and also for me and the timing of my return to Iwatsuki. My husband went back to Iwatsuki on July 23--it has been 2 weeks since--and Aug. 21 is our wedding anniversary.
