Amid Waiting and Worry

I appreciate people

who explain how things work,
who slow down and think with you.

who hear the worry beneath sharp edges,
and listen past frustration.

who set the pace by their calm,
and let time do its work.

I am grateful

for an ER doctor I know through the medical school,
and the peace of mind from capable hands,

after four months of bringing my husband
back and forth to the ER,

for each visit adding another clue,
another piece that begins to fit

for learning about iron, ferritin, hemoglobin,
numbers we now know how to read.

I am thankful

for the dog who worries alongside me,
whose games remind me to notice joy.

for friends who call to check in,
offering presence without solutions.

for a boss
who would have brought dinner without hesitation.

for a coworker
who picked up my lunch and brought it to the hospital,
up the elevator, like a personal DoorDash.

for the internet
allowing me to work while waiting,
a steady connection keeping me anchored.

for curiosity that replaces panic,
for focusing on what we know.

for no one rushing him home,
for questions are still being asked,
and digging that continues.

I now have a deeper respect
for what medical students must learn,
and the complexities they are asked to master

I am blessed by
quiet logistics—

a car, a full tank,
safe passage back and forth.

a stove turned off mid-meal,
food waiting, not wasted,
refrigeration that keeps it safe.

an expired inspection sticker
that slowed the day just enough
to uncover the dire situation.

All this has given me
a strong sense of clarity and focus
about what truly matters,
when everything else falls away.

the space to choose—
rest over obligation,
health over appearances,
peace over performance.

I am appreciative
not because everything is resolved,
but because we are blessed
in many small, steady moments.