Saying Goodbye

I'm sorry I have been MIA the past few days. I am trying to process the suffering of my dear friend. I have felt somewhat emotionally and physically weak and it has been hard to put into words what my mind is contemplating. But here is an attempt...

One afternoon this week I was blessed to spend a few short but precious minutes alone with my dear friend Kelly. I never knew how special a big hug and kiss could be...one of the most moving moments of my life. Her battle here is ending, but in faith we know her eternal future is approaching. Her suffering here must have merit beyond this earthly world. It must. Her spirit is strong, strong beyond that body that she has fought so hard against.

But The Father calls his children home. This is not our home. Every time I turn on the radio this week I am reminded that "there's a time to live and a time to die...He is with you....I'm by your side...My hands are holding you...I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me..." I know he is speaking those words to me and to my friends in this trying time. He reminds us that the end of this world is just the beginning of eternity. We trust in God's mercy and his promise of eternal happiness, but sometimes our faith is weak and we hate to see our dear ones suffer.

I have known Kelly from before we were homeschooling friends. Kelly was our apartment neighbor and we enjoyed getting to know her and our other neighbors, spending time at the park and the pool, enjoying that life before school years. As time progressed, Kelly became a homeschooler, a breast cancer sufferer, a single mom, and then a Catholic. How things can change in 5 years!

We all knew that the end would come one day. Her cancer was such that there was not hope for a full recovery. These past months many of the homeschool families have stepped up to become her true support network, day and night. Now she is back under the care of her family in her final days. I pray that it is a time of peace and reconciliation for all of them, and that her two young boys feel the comforting arms of the Father as they say goodbye to their mother.

It has been hard to enjoy the beauties of this week...the simple joys of the children, park days, ballet class, family visits, reading books, work successes, and even a visit to a state park...they are all overshadowed by the sorrow of my friend's suffering and death. I pray that God will grant us all peace and I humbly ask for your prayers for Kelly, her family, her friends, and her caregivers as well. Jesus, we trust in You.