I watched as my friend Carol herded her small children across the church parking lot one Sunday toward her car. How does she do it all? I wondered.
A single mother on a tight budget, Carol was just about to start nursing school. She dreamed of making a better life for herself and her kids.
Not long ago she had asked the ladies at our church for prayers as she embarked on this new journey. Several of us had secretly purchased as a surprise a couple of the textbooks she would need for her first semester of school. I only wished we could do more.
Back home that Sunday, I e-mailed my sister-in-law, Andie, and asked her to pray for Carol too. Andie was a registered nurse. If anyone knew what it was like to juggle a nursing career and a family, it was Andie.
She e-mailed me back right away. “You bet I’ll pray for her!”
Two days later I received a package from Andie. I opened it up. Inside was a lovely ladies’ watch with a note from her: “This watch was given to me when I made Nurse of the Year. Please give it to Carol and let her know that I’ll definitely be praying her through nursing school!”
That Sunday we presented Carol with her textbooks.
“Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me,” Carol exclaimed, hugging the books to her chest.
“We want you to be all ready for school,” one of the women told her.
“Now I can get that wristwatch I’ve wanted,” Carol said. “One with a second hand, like every nurse needs to count respirations and pulses.”
Andie’s watch! In all of the excitement of giving Carol her textbooks, I had completely forgotten to take the watch out of my purse. I pulled it out along with the note and handed them both to Carol.
Carol was speechless as she slipped the watch onto her wrist. “It’s perfect,” she said softly.
I watched the second hand tick by as Carol read Andie’s note. Looks like I had finally learned the secret of how Carol juggled all of the challenges in her life. With the right prayer, anything was possible.
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