My wife and I were visiting our son on the East Coast of the United States. After dark, he and I took his dog for a walk in a park near the ocean. As I looked out over the water at the beautiful harbor lights, I missed seeing a staircase in front of me. I fell, landing at the bottom of five concrete steps. My lower leg, hip, and head took most of the impact. When my head hit the concrete at the bottom of the stairs, things went black for a second. All I heard was, “Dad!” 

I lay there for a minute, wondering what had happened. The next thing that came to thought was this familiar statement from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Accidents are unknown to God . . .” (p. 424). My son shared some comforting words as he tried to help me up, but my knee wasn’t ready to bear weight. Fortunately, some other people were walking nearby, and a man helped my son get me back on my feet. After thanking the man for his help, we started back to my son’s home.

Along the way, I thought, “If accidents are unknown to God, then what just happened?” After we arrived at his home, my son gently patched up the scrapes on my leg. Everyone else had gone to bed, so I had some quiet time to pray. I have had many healings in Christian Science, but I had never fallen before. This was an opportunity to reflect deeply on God’s care for and protection of His children.