Media outlets around the world have been sharing the story of the Canadian woman, Rita Chretien, who survived seven weeks in the wilds of Nevada. You have heard the story: she and her husband were snooping around in the back country when things went terribly wrong. When their van got stuck on a logging road her husband Albert walked out for help. Except that he hasn't been seen since and she was alone in their vehicle, surviving on melted snow and trail mix.Although Rita was near death when she was found, she is recovering. She has named love of family and a strong faith as sustaining forces during her desperate time. She read her bible and prayed.
A doctor and family members have described her survival as a miracle. I'm not sure that I would use that term given that her husband has almost certainly perished, and she went through a terrible ordeal. Yet I believe that she derived comfort and courage from the God who was already part of her daily life. I think of the abbreviated version of the Serenity Prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Thoughts?
Rough stuff. I only hope they can locate her husband so that she can have closure.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian. A week later, no sign of her husband, but she is out of hospital.
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