“And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you shine like the sun, And hold you in the palm of His hand.”
—On Eagle’s Wings
Michael Joncus (based on Psalm 91)

Y STORY BEGINS at the time my mother, age 89, became a widow for the second time. Mom was becoming increasingly feeble, but we wanted to allow her the dignity of continuing to live in her own home. Several months after my stepfather passed away, Mom suffered a light stroke, and we knew it was time to insist that she no longer live alone.

CHRISTUS The Regis/St. Elizabeth Centers had always been my choice for Mom when she could no longer live independently, and she agreed. When Mom moved into the assisted living center, we recognized that a small miracle had actually occurred several months prior to her admission, when my sister-in-law had moved to the facility’s independent living quarters. She had already established a network of friends and card-playing buddies.

These wonderful ladies “adopted” Mom and provided her with a wonderful built-in support system that made it so much easier for her to adapt to her new home. In addition, the staff in the assisted living area could not have been more wonderful and caring. All was going well until Mom fell and broke her hip. Following surgery and a brief hospital stay, we brought her back to St. Elizabeth Center. She was confused, shaky and so unhappy the first few weeks, but with loving and competent therapists and staff, she began to rally and return to the cheerful, witty Mother I knew so well.

Recently, Mom told me about her dream—she was lying in bed, trying to get comfortable. In her struggle, she began to slip out of bed. At that moment, she prayed to God to keep her from falling again. Before she hit the floor, she felt herself being lifted ever so gently, as though she were as light as a feather, and placed on the softest bed. She felt as though she could remain there forever.

A dream? Maybe. Did my mother actually begin to fall? Did the Lord lift her up and rescue her? We’ll never know. The experience that she had, however, gave me goose bumps when she told me about it. I just know the Lord has kept Mom in the palm of His hands.

Carol Tomchesson
CHRISTUS The Regis/St. Elizabeth Centers
Waco, Texas