widows and orphans

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows-- this is God, whose dwelling is holy. ~Psalm 68:5

I would like to ask, if you are reading this....to take a moment to pray for a childhood friend of mine, Karen.

Karen and I were inseparable from first grade until junior high.....adolescent changes and silly high school drama caused us to drift apart, but throughout our adult years......we've managed to touch base from time to time and get caught up on each other's lives. She has an eighteen year old daughter, Kimberly from her first marriage and has been married to Terry for quite some time. They were perfect for each other as they both were passionate animal lovers.

It's funny how God sets up these random times that our paths cross at just the right time. Well my mom crossed paths with Karen's mom last spring and found out that Karen's husband Terry was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. I felt horrible hearing about this, especially as I have heard that esophageal cancer is one of the fastest spreading of this ugly disease. I immediately contacted Karen and started praying for Terry's health. He ended up going in for surgery where the doctors thought they got the majority of the cancer and he started with chemo treatments. Prayers appeared to be answered as his health improved over the next few months.....Well over the course of the summer, they got the grave news that the cancer did indeed spread and was very aggressive. It spread to his bones and to his brain... I don't know all the details exactly......but her email updates went from bad to worse as therapies and treatments were now replaced with a hospital bed being brought to his home. God decided it was time to call Terry home a few weeks ago. He was free from pain and peaceful in his last few days...surrounded by his family/loved ones. He spoke about how he was anxious to meet up with his favorite pet Marley at The Rainbow Bridge, who passed suddenly the week before his diagnosis. He was tired and wanted to Go Home. Hours before he passed....he spoke of a beautiful forest in the distance and that was where he was going. The nurses said it was the medication.....I believe differently. I believe that God let Karen know, that Terry was going to a paradise and would be fully restored and healed.

It was a week or so following his ceremony, when I received an email from Karen with "more bad news" in the subject line. Karen's first husband, Steve....Kimberly's dad....suffered what the doctors first thought was a massive heart attack (he is only 42) and was on life support. They now think that his heart just stopped and due to the lack of oxygen, he has suffered brain damage. Unbelievable! My heart is breaking for Karen and even moreso for Kimberly. She has been flying back and forth from college these past few weeks.....is emotionally broken, yet trying to keep it all together. The latest update (yesterday) on Steve is that his condition nosedived these past few days and his family decided to take him off life support last night. Kimberly has been pretty much by his side.....just holding his hand. She wanted to be with him when they removed the tubes, so as to say her final goodbyes to her dad. She feared that she would see him choke, struggle and die.......Once again, Our Lord has shown such amazing grace as when the tubes were removed.....he continued to breath and is quite peaceful. I know that God has a plan.....I am not sure if it is to keep Steve here for any longer, or to call him Home as well....but I do know that we serve a righteous God and He has promised to care for the widows and orphans. His ways are not our ways.....we are mere humans and not created/able to process His ways all the time......so we have to trust and believe that it will all be revealed to us when we go Home as well.

So please pray for Karen.....she does not have much faith right now, she is so broken and lonely. Please pray for Kimberly....may she find peace, comfort and strength.....may she know that she has her Almighty Father holding her close during these painful times. Pray for Steve's family.....he has a new wife and young child. If it is God's will.....please bless him with a miraculous healing.....and give all the glory to the One who gives....and takes away.

In Jesus name~
Amen

**update**

It is with great sadness that I have to let you know God called Steve home this morning at 10:15 with Kimberly and his family by his side. .....Karen is so lost right now, claiming that she was destined to be a widow at 42 no matter who she was married to......and Kimberly just lost two fathers. This all happened in less than one month's time and I cannot imagine what they are going through. Please continue to keep these families in your prayers.......God tells us in Matthew 18:20 that where two or three gather together in His name, He is there among them.