CRUSHING NEWS

I'm having real trouble writing this post.

My friend Larry has Covid.

He was diagnosed with it yesterday morning. 

"Hey, you're the first to know Mike, " he said bravely. "Don't tell anyone quite yet. I know this will really upset my family."

I'm not sure how my heroic friend contracted the virus, maybe from his new roommate. Although Larry received a first round of vaccine over a week ago, it appears it came too late.

This morning when I call, an unproductive cough intrudes on Larry's speech; his train of thought is jumbled; his will to keep fighting broken. The Covid is winning.

"What day is it?" he asks.

"Tuesday, January 26th," I answer. "Actually it's Wayne Gretzky's birthday," I babble. "I'm a real nerd when it comes to birthdays."

Larry's ready laugh is not there. 

He coughs again.

"I'm having a hard time with all this. The cancer, the pain, the isolation, now the Covid."

I try to be encouraging but the right words just aren't there.

"Maybe this virus is a good thing," he continues. "It's just going to speed up the inevitable."

He seems much clearer, the pain from coughing sharpening his perpective.

I remind him of our conversation from the previous day when he spoke of life as being a series of ups and downs.

"You're just in a down now, my friend. But know you're not alone. The Lord is with you, always."

Larry is in a deep valley today.

Pray for him that his faith is even deeper.