Flowers

A simple vase of wild flowers. That is what I found waiting on my desk when I finally walked back into my classroom. Sitting beside it was a small handwritten note from a student with just a few words of love and a simple we missed you. I stood there for a moment taking it in and then I wept. Not quiet tears but the kind that come when your heart has been holding more than your body can carry.

The past two months have been unlike any season I have ever walked through. Illness, a hospital stay, countless doctor visits, and more days of slowing down than I have ever wanted. I have always been the strong one. The one who keeps going when everyone else has stopped. The one who takes on challenges and moves forward no matter how full life becomes. The one who works three jobs because I love the purpose and the pace of a full life.

But this time I was halted in my tracks.

I have had to let others drive me to appointments.
Let others help me.
Let others comfort me.
Let others carry what I normally carry myself.

If I am honest, that has been one of the hardest parts. Strength has always been a part of who I am. Independence has always come naturally. Yet in this season I have had to sit still and accept care from others in ways I never expected. There is a certain vulnerability that comes when you cannot simply push through. When your body says slow down and you have no choice but to listen.

It is in the valley that we hear and see God most clearly.

When life is busy and everything moves at full speed it is easy to believe we are holding everything together by our own effort. But when the pace changes, when our strength feels limited, and when we are forced to be still, we begin to notice His presence in ways we might have missed before. In quiet moments. In unexpected kindness. In simple reminders that we are not alone.

Through every hospital visit, every doctor appointment, every moment of uncertainty, God never left me. Even when I felt weak, He remained strong. Even when I felt still, He was still moving. His presence surrounded me in waiting rooms, in quiet nights, and in the care of the people He placed around me.

Scripture reminds us in Deuteronomy 31:8,
“The Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee.”
He went before me into every unknown moment. He never failed me. He never left my side.

Isaiah 41:10 says,
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.”
When my body felt weak and my plans were interrupted, He was my strength. When I had to slow down, He held me steady.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us,
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.”
In the quiet moments when emotions surfaced and tears came easily, He was near. Closer than I realized.

And when I could not move at my usual pace, He reminded me in Psalm 46:1,
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Not a distant help. A present help. Right there in every moment.

That vase of wild flowers sitting on my desk was more than a kind gesture from a student. It was a reminder that God never stopped working even while I was slowed down. It was a reminder that seeds planted in love continue to grow even when we are not able to move as quickly as we once did. It was a reminder that I am seen, cared for, and deeply loved.

I am still walking this road. Still healing. Still learning to move at a different pace. But I know with certainty that God has been with me through every step. He has carried me when I felt weak, comforted me when I felt overwhelmed, and reminded me that I am never alone.

He did not leave me in the valley. He met me there. And He continues to walk beside me as I move forward one day at a time.