After several days of Cannon being in the hospital, Steve and I were swapping hospital duties and I was headed to run some Christmas errands. The minute I walked into our quiet home, there was a knock at the door. A lady from our stake congregation stood at the door with a gift bag. I thought she was dropping something off because of Cannon and I quickly learned she had no idea what had transpired that week in our home, she was just dropping off a Christmas treat. We chatted for a few minutes and then I shut the door taking in the peace of our home for just a minute. And I knew I needed to collect some food and make it back to the hospital. I opened the gift and found chips and salsa – totally a comfort food for me – and easily transportable so I could take it and share it with Steve. In addition there was a Christmas card. I opened up the envelope and found this ceramic ornament of a sister missionary walking with Christ.

It looked just like Hallie. And I allowed myself in that moment, in the kitchen by myself, to just weep. All the emotion from the week bubbled to the surface. I was tired. Emotional. I was unsure how to comfort Cannon. I was worried about connecting and helping my kids who I hadn’t seen all week. I was overwhelmed with making sure Christmas wasn’t falling through the cracks. And I missed Hallie – obviously more than I realized because the ornament made me emotional.

While I was having my moment, Hunter returned home and found me crying in the kitchen. And without any words, his 6’1″ frame enveloped me in a comforting and reassuring hug. He’s not the hugging type so it felt even more special knowing he recognized my need and held me for as long as I needed.

I’m not quite sure what inspired this woman, who doesn’t know our family on a personal level, to purchase such a sweet gift for us. Not only that, her timing was impeccable because gifts had piled up on the counter while we had been away and I hadn’t had a chance to go through any of them. But this gift was different. I was personally able to receive it at the door step for the one hour I was home that day – and I needed it more than she would ever realize. I’m grateful for His tender mercies.