It was a
beautiful spring day in central Texas. My husband Gary and I had driven halfway back to
Dallas from Dripping Springs. We had seen our eldest son ordained as a deacon in the
Sunset Canyon Baptist Church.
We had taken the
"scenic route" to see the wildflowers and re-connected with IH-35 at Hillsboro.
At that point we needed a break so we stopped at a service center for gas and a
snack.
Gary was using a walker.
I helped him out of
the car. He took two steps with his walker and then he stopped.
He couldn't walk any farther.
It is called
"freezing," and though it is common with people who have Parkinson's Disease, he
had never experienced it to this degree.
Gary couldn't move
forward or backward.
The minutes passed.
People passed. They courteously avoided us.
After about 15
minutes of not being able to move, and not knowing what to do, we heard, "Excuse
me, please. Do you need a prayer?"
Two small boys had
come to help us.
Those precious words
were a reminder that God was with us, and realizing that helped to renew our
strength.
Gary was able to get back into the car.
The little boys,
about eight and six years old, had offered the only help they could.
They
had stepped forward in love.
Sarah Atwood is coordinator of
Group Exercise and Speech Therapy, services of
Lakeside Baptist Church and the Dallas Area
Parkinsonism Society.
