The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
I don't like the way this feels We need to get you upstairs for a mammogram and ultrasound
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
he restoreth my soul:
I stroke my grandmother's hand, pull out my phone to look up Psalm 23. She was hooked up to oxygen, taking short, choppy breaths. Her body was resting as best it could while the internal struggle to let go was progressing.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
The technician had everything positioned just right Don't breathe beep, beep, beep Breathe Don't breathe beep, beep, beep breathe
Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Do you remember when you used to give me perms? They always lasted forever. My friends were jealous. I always loved your fried chicken and mashed potatoes with the white gravy.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies;
The warm gel oozed onto my skin The pressure of the probe searching, hunting Fingers on the keyboard shift, click readjusting shift, click Let me confer with the radiologist
Thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
As each minute passed I reassured her Linda is on her way She will be here soon
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life:
There is a small mass We need to schedule a biopsy
And I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.
My mom walked through the door We hugged She made it to see my grandma through
One Blessed Block 
There is great solace in prayer. I like how you interwove the lines of the psalm with what was happening.
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This is beautiful. Your use of the prayer intermingled with some of the most emotional, and terrifying, moments we humans go through, humanizes the terror. We aren’t alone. Good luck and thank you for this.
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The annotations of Psalm 23 remind me how comforting this chapter has been at various moments in life. I memorized in as a teen. It helped me through my father’s long illness when I was young. Thank you for returning us to David’s story. It offers strength in troubled times.
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Psalm 23 is a constant for me too. Especially right now. I appreciate you telling your story interwoven with the Psalm.
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I love how you wove the Psalm with two stories of love, hope, and life. My sister went through cancer about the same time you did. There is power in prayer and God is so, so good!
By the way, I nominated this post for the Tear Up but Love prize. 🙂
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Thank you Leigh Anne! It was a comfort to me as I read my grandmother the psalms in her last hours, yet they were speaking to me in my health challenge. God was holding us both up with His word!
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