Long Distance Check-In (01/28/2026)

I waited as long as I could stand it. Finally, at 9:20 a.m. central time on Tuesday morning, figuring it would be 10:20 eastern time, I dialed and waited. I can’t describe the joyful relief in my voice when I heard my friend’s laugh over the phone. And for the next 25 minutes, we chatted as friends concerned about one another because that’s what friends do.

Marcia and I have a bond that continues to hold strong. The LORD intersected our paths in Flagstaff, Arizona in May of 2017. We met in the garden area of the local Hilton. We spent hours talking the night we met and hours the next morning. We exchanged addresses and phone numbers. And we’ve been in touch since.

When I was going through my last bout of cancer treatments, she would send me cards and care packages. She sent me a skin cream that I keep to this day by my den chair. It is magnificent. Just a small dab will treat any dry spot. And the aroma is heavenly. And every time I retrieve it and use it, I say aloud, “Thank you, Marcia.”  Just last week she sent me a card to let me know she was thinking about me and included a shamrock for my Irish.

Marcia lives outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, and she’s been on my special prayer list for days as I watched the terrible winter storm approach her area, bringing snow and ice and colder than normal temps. I didn’t want to call and distract her if she and her family were trying to cope or run down her battery if she was without power. But finally, I decided to give it a try because I needed to know she was safe and well. And for nearly half an hour, we laughed and we remembered and we checked in on one another.

Our spiritual and physical journeys are meant to be shared. We bring our love and our gifts with us wherever we go, and we are called to share them with those we encounter along the way. My relationship with Marcia is testament to what is possible when we encounter one another, accompany one another, care for one another. It matters in the moment and that moment can turn out lasting decades.

This morning, I continue to hold in my prayers my friend Marcia and her family as well as all the others in our nation as they continue to deal with the impact of that storm. I hope that we can all do that, pray for those whom we know are dealing with difficult times and challenging situations. And if there are real ways that we can assist, I pray we are able to do that, as well. Our savior reminds us that we are to care for our neighbors and he’s asked us to consider the world our neighborhood.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.