Signs of Goodness

 Is there good in the world? Have you ever wondered this, with so much bad news around us. Wars, droughts, viruses, mass shootings - it's all a bit overwhelming at times.

My daughter Alyssa is currently on a vacation with her husband and his family. It was originally going to be a Mediterranean cruise, but with Alyssa entering her 3rd trimester of pregnancy, that was off the table. Airfare was already paid for, so they went ahead with their vacation, minus cruise ships. Most recently, they found themselves on the island of Mykonos. I'll give you a minute to Google that.

I woke around 5 am, to a Facebook message from Alyssa, basically saying, "Don't panic, but can you send me some insurance information?". Ok, I'm up. Wide awake even. I say yes, but why? She asks if she can call, and I say sure. Our conversation goes something like this:

"Dad, I fell down the stairs and want to make sure the baby is OK. Oh wait, my doctor's office is calling....". And that's it. No more word. I start to get some pieces of information from Alyssa's mother in law. First off, here are the stairs.

Ok, I'm a bit less worried, but not much. We text back and forth, trying to find somewhere that's open with an ultrasound machine. Their driver, Nick, keeps telling mother in law not to worry. I'm pretty sure at one point she probably wanted to choke him out! They drove to one place, no dice. We keep striking out. They finally find a doctor who agrees to come in on her day off and do an ultrasound. She is very kind, and even tells them that she would like a picture of the beautiful baby when she is born. I was left humbled, not being able to help Alyssa, but knowing that kind doctor had been placed in a spot where she could provide the care Alyssa needed. Baby is fine, and Alyssa is a bit bruised but will be fine as well. Shout out to her kind husband, his family and even the driver Nick, who dared try to tell a mama bear to calm down.

One other brief example. I have a coworker who is on a family vacation back east. On Tuesday, he posted this cryptic message to Teams:

"So my family church history trip great! Saw lots of good stuff in Palmyra, Harmony, and Kirtland.

However, that small tickling cough I had been ignoring flared up and I'm now staying in the hospital in Rochester New York. They aren't certain what is wrong so we'll see how long I'll be here."

And that's it. No word. By Friday, we are all a bit worried. Our director tracks down the wife of this guy, and finds out he is now in ICU, struggling to get enough oxygen. His wife was attempting to drive the family home, and their car broke down in Iowa. Director and team sprung into action. A team member that lives in Indiana was willing to drive to Iowa if needed. Another team member has connections for dirt cheap hotels. And I think our director was ready to fly them all home. By Sunday, the team members family was back in Utah, and his wife was leaving to go back and be with him. In the mean time, our director had contacted the local congregation of our church, who were ready to take care of the children and help however they can. And the congregation in Rochester was aware of the situation and was ready to help on their end. I was again humbled, as I saw each and every team member willing to drive to Iowa, fly to New York, help out here in Utah and just so willing to serve. 

Turns out there is still goodness in the world.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my own good neighbors who brought in food after Lori's surgery. It's amazing how just knowing dinner is taken care of can really simplify the day. It allowed me to catch up on work and take care of Lori, while not giving a 2nd thought to dinner for two nights.