Getting To Know One Another |
This is a place to come and get to know one another. We will be introducing you to new families and letting them share what God is doing in their lives.
Since your safety is important to us, we will not disclose family names or any other identifying information. Please send us a brief introduction to your family. Tell us how God has cared for you along your new journey. If you would like, we will post a picture of your family with your introduction. It would be appreciated if pictures arrive in jpeg format. We look forward to hearing from your family!
The Lord has brought us through the lowest valleys. Meet Val and her daughters.
I would like to share my story as well as prayerfully be a blessing to all of you. The Bible says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. After being married for 15 years and going through many tough trials, my family was about to really take a nose dive. One day, my husband was coming home from work in his truck. He was trying to change lanes, but because he was drinking, he lost control of his vehicle and hit the curb. He said he let go of the wheel (and he wasn't wearing his seatbelt), he was thrown in the passengers seat. He remembered saying "Lord Save Me", then he just closed his eyes. His truck kept going back and forth, back and forth, finally it hit a guard rail and he was ejected out of the front or side windshield. I was at a church meeting when I got the news to go the hospital right away. When I got there, the red cross, and hospital staff met me in the family room. He broke his neck and would be paralyzed for the rest of his life. The following few months were really trying for us as we had to adjust our whole lifestyle. At the time my four children were ages 15, 13, 10 and 7. My babies were and still are troopers. I had to go through much training to learn how to care for my husband. I thought that was a very cruel thing to happen. As I stated earlier the things we were going through certainly didn't have to turn out this way. I was very angry with God in the most way. Why couldn't he get a nurse? Why did I have to be the one to do this?. My husband, no longer able to do anything but be dependent! I mean, I was really angry with God. But you know what? He was very patient with me and his Grace and Mercy really was with me. To the widows/widowers reading this, I want to tell you GOD showed me what it was really like to LOVE HIS way!. He used my taking care of my husband, to not only Save Him, but to nurture Me, to show Me what unconditional love is really all about, how to walk in His strength, how to have compassion for others, How to have forgiveness( because my husband was an adulterer) and it just goes on and on. His accident was really no accident at all. God allowed this to happen and I don't think this was His perfect will but He permitted it to happen and it all worked and is working for His Glory. That's what I want, for Him to get the Glory out of my life. My husband's accident was in March 3, 1995, our anniversary was March 8, and five years later he went to be with the Lord, July 2001. Yes, I still hurt, especially when at my church they acknowledge anniversaries of our married couples. I can't stand up anymore for that, but it's ok. Jesus is my husband, and the more I live the more I understand, but I still hurt. God has allowed me to be over the Hope Aftercare Grief Ministry at our church and it has people just like you who need support, encouragement and love and I'm grateful he allowed that to fall in my hands. I bless God for each of you and with what you're going through. We are not going to understand everything that God does and we don't have to, but how ever long it takes, please please, let the healing begin. Jesus is there, never leaving you and never forsaking you. Keep those promises, stay in God's word. You'll make it, everyone of you. I guarantee it. I hope one day we can have a conference, ( I don't know how since we're all in different places), but let's pray about it. God can do anything but FAIL. I love you all.
Going on with hope and
faith..........Meet Cheryl and her children. 
Jim
loved motorcycles, cars and serving the Lord. He was a kind man who loved
helping Linda care for her aging father. Read Linda's story and
be reminded that "The
Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
It’s December 31st and I am sitting here thinking about how fast this year has gone by. It was a year this past November that Jim went to heaven. It seems like yesterday. It still doesn’t feel real. I know that Jim is no longer here but his memory is always with us. He would want me as well as our children, to be strong. I want to share with you what is sustaining me and my children.
Jim loved to visit his family in North Carolina every fall. I used to go with him, but in the last few years I stayed home because my dad could not be left alone. Jim didn’t mind the 12 hour ride, and this time he took our dog Bernie for company.
He got to North Carolina and had a wonderful time with his family and grandchildren. On November 6th he started heading home. He called me around 5 :00 P.M. from his cell phone and told me that there was a license plate in front of him that read Joshua1:9. I looked it up for him while he was driving, I read it to him and he thought it was really nice.
He called later at 8:30 and said he was tired and he was going to stop and stay overnight at a hotel. He called me the next morning (November 7th) and told me he was not feeling well. He eventually was admitted to a hospital in Martinsburg, Virginia for a heart attack. He lived for 2 weeks and he needed a new heart. He was never unconscious, he was talking and after 7 days he was walking around. We spent 2 weeks together in the hospital. We laughed and had a good time, we never talked about him not making it. He didn’t want us to think that he would not be here. The doctors did tell us that he was very sick, but each day he seemed to have gotten better. But on November 21st Jim passed away. We never got to discuss Joshua1:9, and I actually forgot about it.
It was Christmas morning (2002) and my brother in law Jerry called to say hello. He was telling me how Jim liked the verse Joshua 1:9. I got so excited when he said it because I remembered how Jim saw that license plate on the road. I quickly got my Bible and noticed that it was circled. It read, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. I knew right then and there that the Lord had Jim see that scripture verse so he would always want me to be strong. I also believe that Jim liked that verse so much that the Lord used it to help him in the hospital. A few months later, I was in the kitchen and I was looking at the newspaper clippings and some cartoons that Jim stuck on the refrigerator. There was a book mark that was underneath one of the articles, the only thing that you could see was my name LINDA on the top of the book mark. When I pulled the book mark up I couldn’t believe what was on it. It was Joshua 1:9, written out. The book mark was on the refrigerator for over 2 years and I never knew that the scripture verse was on it! I also had bought a series of music that is called “God Will make a Way”. I never played the bonus CD and when I did they sang the scripture verses of Joshua 1:9.
I know that some of you are reading this and wondering how this could be? I know that it was God that wanted me and my family to have this verse so we can lean on God and believe how real the Lord is. I don’t want you to think that I am strong on account of my own strength. I have my days but knowing that God is sovereign and that He does have a plan for us helps me each day to remember that everyday is a gift and that we are here for a reason. I would rather have Jim here than in heaven, but I am learning more each day that we don’t have control over what we wish we could change. It is still painful for me as well as other family members and friends that Jim is not here .We do grieve but we grieve with the confidence and assurance that we will be reunited again!!!1Thessalonians 4:13- reads, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.”
I also know that the 2 weeks the Lord gave me to be with Jim was a gift. I say this because I know that the Lord knows when He is going to take us. Jim loved life but yet he also knew that this place is not our home. He would often say when a believer passed away that they were “Promoted to Glory”. We will be together someday and it will be for eternity.
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Jim was serving in Iraq for nearly 11 months when he was informed that his wife had passed away totally unexpectedly on Thanksgiving day. He immediately returned to Germany to his three children. Jim states, "We have been thru a lot as a family since my wife's passing and are slowly picking up the pieces of our lives." We know that the Lord is going to carry Jim and his children through their grief and keep them secure in the palm of His hand.
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Elizabeth and her sons Philip, Martin, and Samuel would like to introduce themselves. After losing her husband
of 17 years to multiple myeloma, Elizabeth wrote that they are beginning to learn how
live without him. She states that the road is rocky and often painful. Learning to have times of fun and
laughter has been important to them. Elizabeth would like to share an entry from her diary in
hopes that it will encourage you.
"We have spent a long time now, longer than I can remember, feeling very close to each other. We have learned how to be very honest, sharing the depths of ourselves. We have become entangled so that one cannot be taken away from the other without hurting both. And that is what is happening now. Peter is dying. It is two years and one day since he was diagnosed with myeloma. It seems like there won't be many more days that he will have to suffer. We have melded together.
Peter has learned how to express his love for me even better than I can for
him. There are many times when I have felt my
words were inadequate. He has become so good at telling me and showing me his
love, and in making it public. He has told the children how he loves me, and has
taught them how a man should love his wife, not just in words, but also in
actions. Our life together has become a dance where we are entwined and
entangled, moving around each other, focusing on each other.
It has been a joy and a delight that we can't hide from each other or others.
When we are together it is almost impossible for us not to be touching. And when
we are apart, we look forward to being together.
I spoke to Peter last week of how it hurts to be separated as we are by his
illness. He said that it was because I have become a part of him, and likewise
me a part of him. He has changed me, built me. We have grown into
the people we are because of each other. without him I would have been a
different person. He has taught me how to love, but even more, how to accept
love.
An image of plasticine (modeling clay) comes to mind. Two balls of different
colours are pushed and molded together until the join between them is disguised.
It is no longer possible to pull one away from the other
without losing some of the original colour. But in losing some, it also gains
some of the other colour.
As Peter dies, it pains me deeply as part of me is pulled away with him. But all
of him cannot be pulled away from me. We have become too close for me to lose
him completely. But still, it hurts so badly. He has been a funny, sweet,
gorgeous man, and I miss him so much. He has amazed me at how well he can love
me. He truly seems to manage to love
me as if I don't have any faults. He is able to look past them as if they
weren't there and love me wholeheartedly. I have often felt inadequate as a
lover because I am not as forgiving as he is. I have often said I wish I could
express my love for him better. Now I have the chance in his illness. I can
throw myself upon the task of loving him in sickness and although it brings
great sorrow, it is something that only I can give him fully, and it is my
desire to do all that I can to care for him and to show him my love
until the end"
When Peter died, I was comforted by knowing that there was nothing more we
needed to tell each other about how we felt about each other. We had continually
assured each other of our love, there was nothing that I wish we had said. On
the last afternoon of his life, I lay with my head on his chest crying, and
telling him how much I missed him. Despite his closeness
to death and his severe weakness, he comforted me by patting my head and
stroking my hair. I can still feel his touch now.
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The
B
family from Rwanda would like to share their inspiring story with you.
Returning to the mission field as a widower with two daughters is proof of God's
grace.
My name is Gary and I have two daughters Melissa 6 and Megan 4. I have
been widowed since Aug 19th, 2001 when my best friend and lover quietly
slipped into the arms of her Savior. Melanie valiantly battled breast
cancer for 21 months before being healed eternally.
In 1999 Melanie first noticed a lump in her breast shortly after she had
stopped nursing our youngest daughter. At first we didn't think much about
it, but decided to get it checked out just to be safe. We were living in
Rwanda where we are missionaries so we didn't have access to much medical
care. Fortunately we were able to find a doctor who told us there probably
wasn't anything to be concerned about because of no family history, but she
suggested we have a mammogram done just to be sure. That was good advice,
but where do you get a mammogram done in Africa? After a week of searching
we finally located a clinic in a neighboring country that could do the
mammogram. It was a long drive up to Uganda, but we really weren't
concerned as we went and we were looking to a few days away. Our
anticipation of some R&R was quickly shattered when the mammogram results
came back positive and we were advised to get back to the States on the
next available flight.
After a few frantic days of searching for airline seats and closing up our
house in Rwanda we arrived in cold Minnesota with no winter clothes for our
girls or ourselves. After only a day of catching our breath it was off to
Mayo Clinic. There the cancer diagnosis was confirmed and surgery was
scheduled for 2 days later. Three weeks after surgery Melanie began her 6
months of chemo treatment, and just like they had told us, she lost all her
beautiful hair after only a few weeks. Following chemo she was given a few
weeks break before starting radiation therapy. At first radiation
was a breeze compared to chemo but towards the end of the radiation therapy
Melanie began developing sharp neck pains. She was put on medications, but
they only helped minimally. We then tried chiropractors, physical
therapists, and message therapists, none of which helped for long. We
began making monthly visits to Mayo Clinic. They did repeated tests and
they assured us all along it wasn't cancer and their conclusion was that
Melanie's severe neck pains were psychosomatic because she really didn't
want to go back to Rwanda. After 9 months of frustration and excruciating
pain we went back to Mayo for yet more tests. The day before we went to
Mayo this time, it was if the Lord was beginning to prepare me. I began to
sense that things were not ok. On that fateful day, May 16th 2001 we got
up at 5 am to get to Mayo early for them to do a CT scan. After we
finished the tests we killed some time while we waited for our appointment
with our oncologist. Our appointment with the Oncologist was at 2:15 p.m.,
and at 2:35 our oncologist came in and simply said, "the news is not good".
He went on to tell us that Melanie's cancer had metastasized and was in
her lungs, brain, and it had nearly totally destroyed her top 4 vertebrae,
and there was no hope of curing her, only of slowing the cancer's growth.
He went on to say that they were so concerned about her neck breaking that
they wouldn't even let her get up from seat. She was immediately fitted
with a neck brace and wheeled off to a hospital room so they could begin 10
days of radiation to her neck to try to slow the cancer's growth.
That night as I sat with Melanie in her hospital room of course we cried
lot, but then God gave us a special measure of grace to accept and begin
planning for her death. That night we made out a list of things we wanted
to get done before her death. Some of the things were to make a scrapbook
for our girls, make videotapes and to write letters from mom for them at
major milestones in their lives. God in His mercy allowed us to accomplish
every thing on that list. Because of the severe deterioration of her
vertebrae Melanie was fitted with a halo to totally immobilize her neck.
That was a hard day for us as our youngest daughter wouldn't get close to
mom because she looked funny with this metal thing screwed into her head
and metal rods coming up from a body brace. Ten days later I got a special
birthday present in that I was able to take Melanie home from the hospital.
One of the things that we had talked about in the hospital was Melanie's
dream of one day having a home of her own. Having spent all of our married
lives as missionaries she had never really had a home of her own where she
could do as wanted. The day following her release from the hospital was
Memorial Day and we called down to the local realtor to leave a message
that we were interested in looking at some houses. He just happened to be
in the office and took us and showed us two houses that very afternoon. We
fell in love with one of the houses, made an offer on it the next day and
by evening our offer had been accepted. The owner also agreed to let us
move in right away and rent till the deal closed. So 3 days later Melanie
was able to move into her very own home.
For the next three months we had a steady stream of visitors coming to stay
with us and help take care of Melanie. Even though it was hard to watch
Melanie deteriorating, God still blessed us with three wonderful months of
transition. On Sunday morning August 19th, two ladies from church and a
missionary colleague stayed with Melanie so I could go to church with the
girls. Melanie was so weak now that she had to be carried everywhere.
Just before I left for church I had carried her out to the living room and
propped her up on the couch. At 11:30 the ladies were just finishing up a
prayer time with Melanie and when they opened their eyes Melanie breathed
her last. At exactly the same time, we were singing the closing hymn and I
stayed seated with my daughters as one of them was fussing. At that moment
while were surrounded by our church family singing, Melanie slipped into
the presence of her Lord. As people started leaving the sanctuary the word
came and so everyone went back into the sanctuary to pray for us while I
rushed home.
One of my concerns following Melanie's death was that my daughters aged 5
and 2 ½ wouldn't be able to sleep at night and would be crying all the
time. In reality there hasn't been a single night that the girls haven't
been able to go right to sleep. Since Melanie's death we have experienced
God's Grace in ways that we have never experienced before. I really
believe that having lived in a hard country like Rwanda and having gone
through the 1994 genocide really helped prepare me for Melanie's death.
During the hard times in Rwanda I saw very visibly that extremely bad
things really do happen to good people. Following Melanie's death I really
didn't struggle with the "why" question, God helped me just accept it. One
of the things I discovered was the importance of perspective. I also began
to realize that if God is really the awesome God that I sing about, then of
course there is no way I can ever begin to figure out His ways.
This last August God allowed my daughters and I to return to Rwanda where
we are continuing my ministry of Church Development. One of my goals here
is to fulfill Melanie's dream of getting an Awana program translated into
Kinyarwanda and started for the Rwandan kids. There have been challenges
in being back here, but overall again God has been very gracious in helping
us with all the adjustments to living and working here in Rwanda.
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We are the H family from CA
and the founders of FOYCWW.
We are the H family from California. I would like to believe that five years ago we were a "normal" family, but friends remind me that our family has NEVER quite fit into what others see as the typical family!
My husband and I met when I was thirteen and he was sixteen. At that time we realized we needed to mature a little before we were married! God was gracious to both of us during our high school years allowing our love to grow protected from the negative influences of the world. In 1973 we began our lives together as husband and wife.
With college and graduate school behind my husband, we headed for Northern California where my husband began his ministry as a pastor in a small rural church. He did not want to achieve his goals through sitting in a church office, but desired to live and work side by side with the people in the community sharing Christ with them. We opened a facility for medically fragile and terminal pediatrics, desiring to care for children whose medical needs necessitated living away from their own homes. Our medical skills led us into becoming fire fighters and medical personnel on the local fire department, allowing us to show those in need Christ's love.
In my husband’s sixteenth year of ministry he suddenly became ill. Within a few short weeks he was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. He was given 3 weeks to 3 months to live. My husband faced the diagnosis with grace and peace that could only have come from our Heavenly Father. Day by day my husband led us through the dying process with the same wisdom that guides my life today. On September 23,1998, the angels came to carry him into the arms of our Savior. During that time I fluctuated between feeling like the experience was not real, and other times feeling the experience was ALL TOO REAL.
We spent our twenty-five years of marriage focusing on becoming one. We molded our thoughts, values, goals and dreams into one. It felt as if I had been cut in half and was trying to function with one arm, one leg, and half a brain.
I struggled to find the wisdom to deal with not only my own loss, but also my children’s loss. My youngest son was 8 and I felt very inadequate in dealing with the depth of his grief as well as the grief of my older children. I must admit the process is still difficult and I rely daily on Christ strength’s.
After four years of being a widow I do not have profound words of wisdom to share with you. What I would like to impress upon your hearts is the simple statement that my husband and I said to one another as we walked through the "shadow of death " together. WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND, CHRIST SIMPLY ASKS US TO TRUST HIM. Today that holds the same meaning it held during our last days together. I still do not understand, and I believe that in my humanness I will never understand. But Christ does not require understanding from us, He requires obedience. He asks us to find contentment in Him even in our sorrow. As my husband was dying he wrote these words to us....I do not know why this is happening--and if we have to know why we will never have peace. "It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me."
A verse that has brought comfort to my heart is found in James chapter 5. In verse 11 we read, "Behold we count them happy who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy." The verses continue talking about those who are afflicted and in verse 13 it says "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises." This is such a special verse to me because it vividly illustrates the different seasons of our life.
My friends, grieve for your loss, but as you grieve remember that in our weakness, He will be our strength.
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I would like to introduce myself. My name is KC, and I have been widowed since June
1st 2001. My husband
had a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma and died suddenly from an
infection due to
chemotherapy. He and I were 22 years old and our daughter 5 years old at the
time. Our story is a long
one with many unexpected sharp turns and bends in the road but of all those
bends losing my husband
has been the toughest for me to deal with. I say me, because Brian no longer has
the cares of this world
to deal with. For our loved ones who know the Lord, this world was the worst
they'll ever know.
Nothing seemed more devastating and difficult to deal with when Brian and I
discovered we'd be parents
at the age of 17. I was a junior in high school and Brian a senior. We knew we
were going to have an
uphill climb ahead being so young but we knew having our child was the right
decision. Thankfully we had
the loving support of our family, church family and friends. Two months before
my due date we found out
Brian had cancer, and being young parents was now not such a devastation. I've
certainly learned one
thing in all my trials, there's always a worse situation or someone who has it a
lot harder than you do.
When the DR's found Brian's cancer it was spread all over his body and he was
going to have to fight the
battle of his life if he wanted to see his unborn child's first birthday. After
a year of mostly inpatient
intense chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, 40 straight days of radiation
and close calls, Brian was
done with his treatment. A couple of months before Brian finished his treatments
he became a child of
God by accepting Jesus as his personal savior. Brian had seen God's grace and
love for him through this
most difficult time. Brian was truly a changed person. We could now both place
our trust and hope in the
only One who holds the future.
Brian and I married in 1998 knowing full well that this cancer could come back
at anytime, but hoping
and praying it never would. One year later his cancer did return and we were
devastated. This time it
wasn't as aggressive and they'd get rid of the tumor and 6 months later another
one would pop up. Brian
chose his quality of life over the quantity and chose to do out patient
chemotherapy because he still
wanted to provide for his family by working as a mechanic. He told the DR's what
he did and didn't want
to do, what time he wanted his treatments and they worked around our lives to
give Brian the best quality
life because the future was undoubtedly uncertain. Brian and I kept a strong
faith and attitude, in fact
Brian's attitude was better than most of ours. Brian's life touched so many
people because they thought
to themselves, "If this guy can keep a good attitude with what's going on in his
life, I have no right to
complain and mope about mine."
As you know no matter what the circumstance surrounding the death of your spouse
you can never be
fully prepared. Brian got an infection because of his low immune system due to
the chemotherapy and
was gone the next day. He had not been feeling good for about a week but didn't
show signs of an
infection until the night before he died. I remember our last night together as
we sat in our bedroom
crying and praying that God would take away his pain and heal him, but if not
that His will would be done.
The next morning I drove to the hospital and things were fine until about 3:00
in the afternoon. Brian's
heart rate plummeted and was transferred to ICU. In those last hours I comforted
my husband and we
said I love you many times that night. We had every hope that he would pull
through, he always did. But
we knew in our hearts that if he did pull through there would be many
complications and he would've
probably been bed ridden. I was praying again that God heal him but if not to
take him quick. I will believe
in my heart until the day I die that God needed Brian to be willing to go, and
I'm sure he was. I could tell
from the night before. He was tired of suffering and being scared of the unknown
every day for 5 years.
If there was ever a demonstration of God's grace it was in those last hours and
few days after Brian's
death. For the most part I held my composure. I think God has made us so, that
we go numb and get
through the funeral and wake. How else can one explain getting through that?
Oh but the days, weeks and months after. No body can prepare you for such
emotions and feelings of
sorrow and loneliness. The first week of Brian's death I felt happiness for him
that he no longer was
suffering and that he now knew why all this had happened to him and his family,
even thought it is still
not known fully to us. The real shock didn't set in until I was making dinner
for the first time for my
daughter and I alone. I will never forget that meal. It was hamburger helper. I
cried through all 5 steps,
while I ate and while I did dishes. I was just staring out the window waiting
for his truck to round the
corner from work. It was probably one of the hardest things to do because it was
a first real feeling of the
way things were going to be. So many little tasks were so hard for several
months. Passing Brian's
favorite soup in the grocery isle, making an appointment for an oil change,
Brian being a mechanic the
cars were taken care of by him, trying to fix my daughters toys. No more lunch
break phone chats at
work. No more "can you pick up a loaf of bread on your way home" or "goodnight"
or "be careful the
roads are slick." It's the little things I think we miss the most. There have
been many nights I have cried,
screamed and punched my pillow wondering, why things happened the way they did
when there's so
many husbands out there who disrespect their wives, beat their kids and don't
give a hoot about God's
love for them. God has gently reminded me of several things during these times
of sorrow.
In Matthew 5:45 Jesus says "He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous." Just because we are Christians doesn't mean God
puts this imaginary
bubble around us that will protect us from harm all the time. he has how ever
promised us that "in all
things God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to
His purpose." We do not
have the power or capability of seeing this whole picture but we must believe
that whatever we are
allowed to go through here on this earth is all part of God's perfect plan for
His purpose. God has also
brought to my mind that if he chose to reveal His purpose for the many things I
have been through, would
that truly satisfy me and make my loss any less? My, and many of yours, answer
at this season of my
life might be "no" and might even make me angry. All he wants us to do is "Trust
in the lord with all your
heart and lean not onto our own understanding (paraphrase: don't try to figure
it out on your own you'll
drive your self crazy); in all your ways acknowledge him (paraphrase: thank Him
for what he HAS gotten
you through) and He will make your paths straight (paraphrase: He'll take your
next foot and put it in front
of the other). Proverbs 3: 5-6.
There are still day's that I seem to cry more than smile but I can rest at night
knowing Brian is in heaven
and will see me again one day. My daughter and I talk freely and jokingly about
Brian. We have laughed
and cried together many times. Our daughter has done quiet well and misses
spending time with her
daddy. I hope one day she'll realize that thoughts of her, kept her daddy
fighting for his life many lonely
nights in the hospital before she was even able to say "daddy." I see so much of
her father in her and
have felt at times as though Brian were saying, "I love you" through her actions
and words.
I hope our story can be an encouragement to you especially if you're in the
anger stage right now. We
are human and God knows that. We are allowed to have all these emotions of
frustration, doubt and
anger but, He doesn't want us to stay there. That is where the real danger can
come in for not only our
spiritual lives but our relationships with others as well. Our sorrow will never
completely go away, it just
gets a little more manageable as we have to continue our lives. Life for us will
never be the same. There
will always be an empty seat at the dinner table, the church pew or our kid's or
grandkid's school plays
but between the turkey dinners and the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" God will be with
us.