The man waved his arms like he was directing incoming airplanes. I almost didn’t recognize him, as he’d gained weight and looked healthy.

He was walking with his wife, and she had endured her trials and issues and— they walked together, smiling and waving their arms at me.

I spun my SUV around, made a U-turn, stopped, and hopped to the sidewalk, and his first words were, “I went to church last Sunday.”

I hugged him. “I’m so thankful. So how long have you been out? I didn’t recognize...