Today I am so thankful for the way that God provides for our needs with others who cross—sometimes deliberately step—into our paths. Today was full of people blessings, right when we needed it.

My husband’s mother has now been in the hospital six days, and it has been clear for the last four days that she is not going to recover. Yesterday, her health declined so rapidly that my husband joined his father and one or two siblings and stayed at the hospital overnight, even though we only live about four miles away. It’s a blessing that my father-in-law and all of the siblings, even the oldest who lives out of state, have been able to spend the majority of their waking time in the hospital this week. The nurses, in particular, have been constant blessings, providing for the family’s needs as well as ensuring that my mother-in-law is as comfortable as possible.

Early this morning I received a text from my husband, telling me about one of the nurses. He knew who she was right away, since she frequently leads the worship team at our church. He also knew that I have met and spoken with her a few times, since both my husband and I serve on the production team at church (we’re the people who, in churches that use media in service or livestream it online, run the cameras, put the words up on the screens, switch which camera you see on the screens, etc.) and I’ve served on the same weekend she has a few times in the past. God provided someone from our church, someone my husband would recognize and whose simple presence would reassure him, unexpectedly and and just the right time. We had no idea she was a nurse, but there she was caring—and praying—for my mother-in-law and our family. What a blessing!

People blessings also came in the form of my own family, or soon-to-be family. I have been keeping my side of the family updated via group messages, and last night I mentioned that the kids will not be seeing Grandma (she’s becoming emaciated, so doesn’t look like herself), which meant I probably would not be seeing her either since I needed to watch the kids. Within less than five minutes, both my sister and my nearly-almost step-sister-in-law offered to watch the kids so I could go to the hospital—my sister on Saturday, since she lives an hour away, and my sister-in-law tonight. That was an unexpected blessing—honestly, things have been so hectic with the semester starting up again and my mother-in-law in the hospital that it never even occurred to me to ask someone to watch the kids. The end result was that I was able to visit tonight, and although she slept the entire time it was a blessing to be able to spend time with her, with my husband, with his father, and with his siblings. While I was there, the evidence of other people blessings—flowers, stuffed animals, hand-made quilts, and rosaries—was all around the room.

Lord, you truly bless us even in such tough times. The people you put into our lives—thank you. So unexpected, yet so necessary, because you knew just what we needed when we needed it. Thank you.