Happy Valentine’s Day, Beanies! I’ve been remiss in writing this year, had two good days, and feel like the others were cop-outs. And today may be as well. But I do have a story to share. This past week I helped organize a care package for a fellow colleague and his family who are going through something I hope to never live though. Their immunocompromised child got sick in November with a flare of his underlying condition and then contracted COVID19 (from his father who got it from a patient) and had every complication known and is still hospitalized today. They have alternated who is at the children’s hospital three hours from our town and my colleague just got back while his wife just left. My husband and I have known them for several years: I work in the same hospital, we are medical student program directors of our respective areas, we’ve gone to the same church, they’ve done marriage enrichment studies in which my husband and I have participated. Their kids go to my kids’ school. We are not close friends, but we respect them so much and would do almost anything for them, and especially now.

From collecting monies for the gift (electronic transfers are a game changer), and going out getting something the family would all appreciate, to making a meal, this took up most of my time this weekend.

As many of you know, my husband is a marvelous cook and I’m pretty worthless in the kitchen. Yesterday, the first day of the new Lunar New Year, he cooked all day, not just for them, but for other families as well.

But it was a lesson in love for our family that I’m still processing. During our preparation, my son asked why we were making this family a meal that was “over the top.” (Keep in mind we made sushi for our own lunch yesterday, so it wasn’t like he was suffering that his meal was any less than what we were preparing fir our own family.) He also wasn’t totally aware of the circumstances although he has known that this child was sick. We explained that although we hardly talk or hang out with this family, they are still important to us and they deserve to be shown compassion during this difficult time. Also, it’s what we do as a family. We support those who need us. And we never do something halfway. We do our absolute best.

But the lesson for me came when we delivered everything. We thought we would be giving strength and sustenance to a broken family—maybe not broken, but certainly bruised. But it was I that felt more love and support while speaking with that colleague, and what a testimony his son has been, who has made friends there, with all the staff and several children. The bravery and resiliency that he has displayed throughout. How their own marriage has survived the stress and struggle of almost losing a child, who they think now will be fine, with a long road to get back to his athletic self, but confident he will come back.

Love is universal. The love they have for their child and each other.