And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18)

My wife, Leigh, and I celebrated our forty-fourth wedding anniversary last November. Shortly before that, she and our daughter went on a cruise to the Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, while I stayed at home in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am not much of a traveler, but Leigh and my daughter are, and it was a good bonding time for them.

So, I was home alone for eight days. Leigh and I have seldom been separated for any length of time, though in recent years she has traveled with her sister to South Africa and Australia while I stayed home.

This last time I found myself worrying, inexplicably anxious, thinking too much, and out of sorts. In fact, I forgot what airport they were returning to. Their flight wasn’t due until 11:50 p.m., and I would need just thirty-five minutes to drive from our home to the Oakland Airport. As I neared the airport cell phone lot, I suddenly remembered that they were landing at SFO, the San Francisco Airport. In a panic, I reset my GPS to the correct airport and headed there. Don’t tell the local police, but I was speeding on the freeway, not wanting my wife and daughter to wait for long....