Details

Dad holds Betsy's hand as he prays for her, before she was transferred by ambulance to the larger hospital.

A year ago, when I wrote a post from ICU in the early hours of the morning, I referred to the little details and big details that showed the hand of God. Here is a little more of the story.

• I didn't join my family on Brian's birthday celebration because I had tutoring appointments scheduled. The first appointment was cancelled. Despite circumstances that caused my second homeschool student to arrive late and leave early, we still studied algebra together. The student's mother considered canceling; her decision to continue with our tutoring session was the reason I wasn't in the vehicle. 

• Since I planned to meet the rest of the family later in the day, Dad suggested I carry Mom's cell phone (I am one of the few people stubbornly resisting a personal cell phone). Using the phone, I was able to contact family and friends.

• Because school was closed for MLK Day, David Byler was available to drive me to the first hospital. Neither of us knew where we were going, but by following his Dad's directions and the blue hospital signs we arrived at the Emergency Room without difficulty.

• When Betsy was transferred to the larger hospital, an hour away, the EMT switched on the reserve oxygen as the ambulance pulled off the expressway. Of the four people in the ambulance, Betsy was the only one who knew where we were going. Once again we followed signs, but still ended up at the wrong emergency entrance.

• The surgeon that talked to Aaron and me in the Emergency Room, after he was transferred to the larger hospital, desperately wanted a plastic surgeon to put Aaron's face back together. He wasn't sure that the plastic surgeon would accept the job, but he did. The plastic surgeon did a superb job!