I need to get this down on paper, so to speak, and have a record of something. I shared about my old girlfriend who died early yesterday morning. She was only 49, much too young to die in my estimation, but then again, I'm not God. He truly has this all figured out.
Anyway, the story on her is that we grew up together---right across the street from one another. My first remembrance of her is us playing Barbies when I was about 5 and she was 4. Her parents both taught school, so Dana would be left at home with the housekeeper (lots of average folks in the South had women in to clean when I was a kid---not just the affluent), and we'd play. My mom was always at home, so if we weren't at Dana's with Willie (the maid, who I just adored), we were at our house.
Well, over the years, we lost touch. Our moms occasionally kept up with one another (they moved several miles away when we were in high school) and Dana and I knew what each of us was doing, but the closeness was gone.
Fast forward...Dana experienced a dizzy spell about 3-1/2 years ago, and went to the doctor, thinking she'd had a stroke. Turned out, she had a brain tumor. Amazingly, they operated and got all of it. The downside of the story was that the tumor had occurred as a result of lung cancer that had traveled. After chemo., radiation and much misery (we were in touch once again), Dana got a clean bill of health last December. What had been stage 4 cancer, was gone.
Zoom into the fall of '09...the cancer was back, and centered around her heart. A stint was put in place since the cancer was blocking an artery to/from her heart. She'd already had her fill of radiation, and couldn't have anymore, not that they'd zap her heart, but she did have a chemo. treatment last week.
On Saturday, I was standing at the dining room table, doing who-knows-what, and heard so clearly the Lord's voice telling me to call Dana. Now, I'd not had her on my mind, and was in the middle of some ordinary task. But, I've learned to listen to that voice, and immediately picked up my cell phone and dialed her number. She answered after a bit, and sounded so groggy, I asked if I'd called at a good or bad time. She admitted she'd just woken up and asked if she could call me back after she got herself together. I, of course, told her that that was fine. Well, she never called, and even now, I don't have a clue as to how the rest of her weekend played out. I just know the end result.
The call from my mom about her death was at 8am yesterday morning. And even so...even with all the grief I'm feeling, I'm so grateful that the Lord prompted me to call her. Out of the blue. One last time I got to hear her voice. How amazing is that? Pretty much so, I believe. God is truly a God of Grace. And I'm glad our kids got to know her---this person I'd known forever. We ended up going to the same church once again as well, and at the Saturday evening services we'd get to chat and catch up. I loved that. Our kids even became acquainted with her too, waving at her across the sanctuary. What had been a lost relationship was rekindled during Dana's illness.
Just needed to say the words. It's sort of like when a woman has a baby...it's said that it's healing to write down the whole birth experience. Helps you to deal with the good and bad, and to move to the next step. Guess I'm doing that too.
Anyway, the story on her is that we grew up together---right across the street from one another. My first remembrance of her is us playing Barbies when I was about 5 and she was 4. Her parents both taught school, so Dana would be left at home with the housekeeper (lots of average folks in the South had women in to clean when I was a kid---not just the affluent), and we'd play. My mom was always at home, so if we weren't at Dana's with Willie (the maid, who I just adored), we were at our house.
Well, over the years, we lost touch. Our moms occasionally kept up with one another (they moved several miles away when we were in high school) and Dana and I knew what each of us was doing, but the closeness was gone.
Fast forward...Dana experienced a dizzy spell about 3-1/2 years ago, and went to the doctor, thinking she'd had a stroke. Turned out, she had a brain tumor. Amazingly, they operated and got all of it. The downside of the story was that the tumor had occurred as a result of lung cancer that had traveled. After chemo., radiation and much misery (we were in touch once again), Dana got a clean bill of health last December. What had been stage 4 cancer, was gone.
Zoom into the fall of '09...the cancer was back, and centered around her heart. A stint was put in place since the cancer was blocking an artery to/from her heart. She'd already had her fill of radiation, and couldn't have anymore, not that they'd zap her heart, but she did have a chemo. treatment last week.
On Saturday, I was standing at the dining room table, doing who-knows-what, and heard so clearly the Lord's voice telling me to call Dana. Now, I'd not had her on my mind, and was in the middle of some ordinary task. But, I've learned to listen to that voice, and immediately picked up my cell phone and dialed her number. She answered after a bit, and sounded so groggy, I asked if I'd called at a good or bad time. She admitted she'd just woken up and asked if she could call me back after she got herself together. I, of course, told her that that was fine. Well, she never called, and even now, I don't have a clue as to how the rest of her weekend played out. I just know the end result.
The call from my mom about her death was at 8am yesterday morning. And even so...even with all the grief I'm feeling, I'm so grateful that the Lord prompted me to call her. Out of the blue. One last time I got to hear her voice. How amazing is that? Pretty much so, I believe. God is truly a God of Grace. And I'm glad our kids got to know her---this person I'd known forever. We ended up going to the same church once again as well, and at the Saturday evening services we'd get to chat and catch up. I loved that. Our kids even became acquainted with her too, waving at her across the sanctuary. What had been a lost relationship was rekindled during Dana's illness.
Just needed to say the words. It's sort of like when a woman has a baby...it's said that it's healing to write down the whole birth experience. Helps you to deal with the good and bad, and to move to the next step. Guess I'm doing that too.
