When our son was very small, he developed a strange disorder that manifested itself in an excruciating pain that roamed from joint to joint. It would be in one elbow, then the other; it would then move on to a knee and so forth. As part of the diagnostic procedures, he was given an EKG, and I still have a very vivid mental picture of the little fellow all wired and lying on a hospital bed. Our anxiety was heightened by the fact that for a time, the medical people could not arrive at any definite diagnosis. We were told that it might be necessary to admit Matthew to a Boston hospital specializing in pediatric medicine. For a time, matters hung in the balance.

When matters hang in the balance, we hang in the balance with them. And it can be a torturous business to be so suspended.

Hanging i…