Boom! Thump, bump!

“Honey, I think one of the kids fell down the stairs!” Ruby exclaimed.

We were staying at a friend’s home, and the girls were sleeping in a large, open room while we slept in the smaller adjacent room. Rousing from my stupor, I gradually realized that Ruby wanted me to check on the kids. Crawling out of bed, I stood up unsteadily and groped in the darkness for the door, banging against a metal cabinet.
“Amber! Where are you?” I heard Pearl calling on the other side of the door. No answer. I panicked. I had to open that door! Finally I found the latch and stumbled through the doorway, feeling for the light switch. As light flooded the open area, I glanced down to my right. There, at the bottom of the steep wooden stairs, lay Amber in a crumpled heap. My heart leapt into my throat. Was she alive? How many bones were broken? Oh no! She’s lying on her still-healing broken arm! Is it re-broken?

As I ran down to her, she opened her eyes and winced, “I’m okay . . .”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied, her voice growing stronger.

I breathed a prayer of thanks as Ruby and I assessed her injuries. “Does your arm hurt? What hurts the most? Can you stand up?”

“I hit my knee,” she said. “But I think I can walk.”

After helping her up the stairs and back into bed, Ruby and I returned to our bedroom where we thanked the Lord that it hadn’t been worse. The next morning we took Amber to a local healthcare center where an x-ray revealed a small crack at the site of her previous break, so she will have to wear a splint for three or four more weeks.
Before leaving our friends’ house, I again glanced at the steps she fell down, and I realized that God must have protected her. Falling headfirst like she did, she could easily have broken her neck. Today we are thanking God for His constant care and protection, and for all of you who are daily lifting this project and our family up before God. Thank you so much. Your prayers are effective.

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