Getting The Call

The other day I was in TJ Maxx for the first time since the afternoon of December 15.

I was not looking forward to my first time back there, but it was inevitable because, well, it’s TJ Maxx. And because the Lord takes such good care of me, it just happens that I wasn’t alone. I was with a close friend who was helping me with a decorating project.

On December 15, I was shopping at TJ Maxx for Secret Santa gifts for the person whose name I drew at Beach Kids Therapy Center. I had everything in my cart and was headed toward the checkout line. I had just passed the shoe section and convinced myself I didn’t need to linger there. We were planning to go that night to look at Christmas lights, so I needed to exercise some self-control and get out of there.

My phone rang and a gentleman asked, “Are you Chandler Espinoza’s mother?”

“Yes.”

“He’s been hit by a car. He’s at Mission Hospital.”

“Is he OK?”

“Can you get here within half an hour?”

“Yes, I’m on my way.”

It’s crazy what the mind does in moments like this. I thought, “I might as well go ahead and pay for everything. I’m sure he will be fine…like always.”

I rolled my cart into the checkout line. Suddenly I said out loud, “Oh, my God, my son was hit by a car.” I left the basket and ran to my car with every question mark imaginable imprinted on my brain.

That call was the first step in a journey that is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Last week as I walked into the store with my friend, I told her about that call. I was grateful because she was with me, and she will be with me for the long haul. I was grateful because every step since that first one, God has cared for us. He has surrounded us with people who have given every kind of support imaginable — people who know us well and people who don’t know us at all.

The call. The first step.

The first day. The first week. The first month.

“I will never leave you or forsake you…” Hebrews 13:5

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash