The Fall

15 That is why they stand before God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence. Revelation 7:15 (Good News Bible) It began as one of those once in a lifetime trips...my siblings, sister in law and me in NYC for a long weekend.  The plan was to celebrate my sister, Cathy's, 50 birthday.  The first part of the trip was fantastic. On the first day alone we managed to cram a trip to Chinatown for some great "fake" designer purses, sunglasses and watches where we heard a group of Chinese gentlemen playing the music of their forefathers in the park.  Then we canvassed Little Italy and had the best pizza I've ever put in my mouth.  Next we caught the subway and what an experience that was (complete with hustlers trying to "help" us out by asking us if with like to use their boot legged metro cards, we declined of course!).  We were crammed inside the subway car literally cheek to cheek (both kinds of cheeks!) and given the ride of our lives.  Finally, we went to Ground Zero which was extremely moving and a very sobering experience.  After a little rest, we hit Time Square for supper and just to simply take in the lights, people and excitement in the heart of city at night.  Not bad for the first day! But, oh, what a difference a day makes!  Sunday morning my sisters and I were headed down to the lobby to meet my brother and his wife for another day of sightseeing that included a Broadway play. We had been taking the stairs in the hotel because we didn't want to wait for the elevator (which by the way, was the only  slow moving thing in NYC!).  On this day, I was dressed in sensible shoes, the kind with non skid bottoms and lots of good arch support and a very small purse because who wants to lug a big handbag through the city? I was being careful, sensible, even acting my age for change. We went down the stairs in a line and I made sure to hold on to the railing because I'm not getting any younger, you know?  And then it happened, all at once I realized I was falling down seven concrete steps face first.  There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop myself. I vaguely remember trying to regrasp the handrails. I vaguely remember the tumbling feeling. I vaguely remember thinking, "This is bad."  At the bottom of the steps, I rolled over and opened my eyes to the horrified stares of my two younger sisters and thought, "I must be going to die because they look really scared...please don't look at me that way."  I also had a sense of wanting to reassure them that I wasn't going to die and so I said, "I'm okay, I'm okay!"  Of course, I wasn't okay but I was alive and at that moment it was all that mattered.  In the next few seconds, my brother, sister in law and hotel staff burst into the stairwell and I have to say, the look on my brother's face didn't make me feel any better.  My sister, Cathy, was yelling "Call 911!"  "Get me some ice!" (she's a nurse) and I realized just how bad my situation was.  I lifted my hand and felt my head and it felt as if I had a huge, hard, soccer ball where my forehead was supposed to be.  I realized I was bleeding from somewhere.  It didn't take but just a few minutes before the ambulance arrived and I was taken to the hospital but before the EMTs arrived, my dear dear brother had the presence of mind to say, "Let's just pray."  David, Cathy, Carole and Tami gathered around me, touching me and we closed our eyes and called on our Heavenly Father.  I don't remember what David prayed.  It doesn't matter.  What matters is that in the midst of shock, trauma, and fear, God was there and He was in control.  Obviously, I didn't die or I wouldn't be writing this but I'll tell you this much, even if I had, God would have still been there in that stairwell on Sunday morning, August 19, 2012 with all of us.  For that, I am eternally grateful.