This Week, Our EntreCard Category Is A Lie...

It's been a slow week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my home town...no, sorry, that's Garrison Keilor's shtick. My hometown is actually Buffalo, NY [very close to a lake, if that counts], and I currently live in the nearby city of Niagara Falls, NY. But it has been a slow week here, too. Life has left me a lot to think about, and a lot of time to think.
The big thing on the thought plate just now is the condition of a five-year-old girl. Her name is not important. She was like any five-year-old, calling herself "Princess", imagining what life as a grown-up might be like, yelling "Amen" the loudest at the end of the Children's Prayer during our church service. Things changed about a week-and-a-half ago. She'd been suffering from some kind of flu, or lung infection; you know, the kind of thing that goes around this time of year. Kids get them all the time, and after a few days in bed, they're O.K. In the case of the little Princess, however, something bad happened. Her mother found her unconscious on the floor of the family playroom. She had no idea how long she hadn't been breathing. The little girl was rushed to the hospital. At the moment, she's in Women and Children's Hospital, a very highly-rated hospital in Buffalo. She's awake, but in a hazy half-world where she's not sure of who people are, even her parents, her grandmother, or her brothers and sisters. The little girl is on a therapy floor. The doctors in charge of her case think she'll have to re-learn most of the things she had learned before now. They believe that she's suffered brain damage, possibly permanent.
The Woman I Love is, well, puzzled with God just now. How can a loving Creator allow this to happen? [Not that Your Host has any answers: my questions are running around the same themes]
I wish I could come up with some cute observations about Modern Life. After all, we're proud to be part of the EntreCard "Humor" section. Maybe later this week, or next. Right now, I'm just a little down about the whole thing. I hope you'll understand. If you believe in the power of prayer, could you please address a few her way? Those of us who love her will appreciate it...

-Mike Riley

P.S.: For some reason, k.d. lang's "Hallelujah" seemed to be an appropriate choice for "Video Of The Week" [see below]. Hope it makes sense to you as well - MR