Sitting with the Suffering

“Daddy, my head hurts.” “Daddy, I’m so cold.” “Daddy, can you rub my feet?”A high fever, chills, and body aches recently descended cruelly upon my teenage daughter. She wanted me to make it better. But mostly she just wanted me near. Eventually, we took her to urgent care. “Virus,” we were told. Nothing to do but ride it out.I sat with my sick girl hours that day. Rubbing her feet. Getting her medicine. Desperately wanting her to feel better.