Photo by Martin Lostak

Most days at my hospital the Spiritual Care team receives requests for prayer prior to a surgical procedure—some major, some minor. After experiences like the one I related in Once a Parent, Always a Parent, I now make it standard practice to offer prayer for anyone accompanying the patient, knowing that the waiting can be as difficult and anxiety-inducing as having surgery oneself.

My friend Elissa Altman, a wonderful and widely published writer, wrote a reflection last spring that captures the experience of waiting for a loved one in surgery with gritty accuracy, honesty, and vulnerability. I have been looking forward to sharing it with you all ever since, and it now feels like the time is right. With no further ado, here is the link to her essay, published in the prestigious Orion magazine. I encourage you to explore Elissa’s writing more deeply—you will be well rewarded.

Inside the Waiting (click to view essay on the Orion magazine website)