I just had this op-ed piece about recovering from open-heart surgery in the New York Times and one of the things that happened almost immediately was a flurry of emails from people who’d had the same operation or would soon have similar operations, most of them complete strangers, and they wanted some reassurance or advice.
I’m not sure how much advice I can give but reassurance I gladly offer, and that’s because I got so much of it. One of the most reassuring things was to be able to hear from people, “You’re in my prayers.” When you’re recovering from the trauma of any surgery, it can be hard to hold your equilibrium. For me, it was even hard to pray. But I took incredible comfort in knowing that others were praying for me.
So back at ya. In my emails to folks who are dealing with serious surgery, one thing I always say is: Prayers. It’s the least I can do when I think of all those who prayed for me.
