My daughter’s high school basketball teammate recently tore her ACL and was told that she would need six months of rehab. Many of us have had friends and teammates who have traveled down this very long, hard road that is often full of painful moments. The doctor first does the work of repairing the tear and making the body whole. But then begins the lonely work of strengthening the muscles as the body heals over time. Much of this work is done without crowds or applause, and often without experiencing enough progress to offer much hope of recovery.

Speed skater Kristen Talbot made headlines in 1992 when she gave up her Olympic dreams to donate bone marrow to her critically ill brother. Talbot proved that she wanted to keep her brother in her life and was committed to doing everything she could to support him during his physical illness, even at the expense of the hard work and practice she had put in on the ice over the years. She demonstrated extreme personal sacrifice to benefit someone she loved.

Often we take our brothers and sisters for granted. We do not carve out time from our schedule to spend with them. We don’t invite them to join us in activities. We don’t ask about their days or show interest in their lives.