Prompt thought of the week:
The disciples must have been excited and terrified all at once. The entrance into Jerusalem for Passover week had turned into a big deal. How would Jesus be received, by the people and by the authorities? And an entrance can define perception! Surely they would make as big a splash of confidence as possible. And then Jesus asks for a donkey. “A…donkey?!” Once again, Jesus demonstrates a love for peace and a love for common people by creating an entrance that proclaimed the power of God’s “kin-dom of heaven,” not Herod’s kingdom of oppression. Looking for love? Keep your eyes out for it in unexpected places.
There are times when we experience love when we aren’t even looking for it! I had such an experience last March when I arrived on time at Oakland Airport. The friend I was traveling with called the shuttle from the parking lot where our car was located. The shuttle was to arrive within 5 minutes so we had to hurry. I quickly grabbed my belongings and headed to the descending escalator. Unfortunately I had not taken the time to repack everything into my carry-on bag before attempting to get on the escalator. With both my hands full, as I reached for the handrail, I began to fall. I landed on the moving escalator head-first and rode it to the bottom telling myself not to move all the way down.
When I reached the bottom, I was met by a woman who said she was a nurse and had been on the same flight I was on. She told me that when she boarded the plane she had prayed that God would guide her to anyone who needed help. Genuine love from Person No. 1. There were many more loving persons who helped me—most of them strangers to me Loving Person No. 2 was an airport employee who loudly screamed to someone to stop the escalator. She also created a makeshift tourniquet out of a latex glove (tying the thumb & pinky finger together above the wound on my right leg). My traveling friend (Person No. 3) stood watch and gathered up my belongings that scattered when I fell at the top of the escalator.
A little later when I told the nurse that I wanted to sit up and they determined that it would be all right for me to do so, Person No. 4 (I later learned that he was a young man from San Francisco) suddenly appeared and sat down behind me with his back to my back so I would be able to lean on him. I never got a chance to see him or to thank him, but I was very much aware of his loving presence.
Soon an ambulance arrived. I assured those helping me that I was capable of standing so they helped me up, and I walked a few steps to the gurney and was taken into the ambulance, where I was tended to by Person No. 5 for the short trip to Highland Hospital. He was kind and gracious and caring. We arrived at the ER at about 7:30 pm.
After he picked up his car, my friend came to the hospital and stayed there. The hospital did not allow him to see me, but they kept me informed that he had arrived and was calling my sister (to get my son’s phone number) and then called my son (Person No. 6). At first he told my son not to come right away as he wanted to stay to see how I was doing and that if the hospital released me, he would drive me home. My friend called my son about 10:00 pm and told him that I wouldn’t be released for a while and that he could come on down to Oakland.
My son arrived about 11:00 pm. He chose not to wait in the waiting room (COVID was still rampant) and waited in his car. At the same time that was happening, the multiple doctors and nurses who were taking care of me (Persons No. 7-through 14) let me know he had arrived. The ER staff members were amazing! At one point, there were 4 doctors suturing wounds on my right leg (2 gashes to the left of my shin bone), left hand, and left forehead—35 stitches in all. I was finally released from the hospital at 4:15 am, and my loving son drove me home.
I certainly was not looking for love in right or wrong places, but I experienced it in miraculous ways on that day. While it was quite an ordeal, I feel very fortunate that I wasn’t injured any more seriously and felt loved on every level by the people who expressed love through their actions. I’ll never forget them.
Jan Lanterman