Thursday, May 14, 2015

Fast Forward , Pause

This post has been rolling around in my mind....

Two women I know would probably wish for one of these buttons.

The one dear lady was fighting that beast called cancer, her journey started about seven years ago. At the five year mark, we celebrated with her. A few months later it was back, she fought for nearly 2 years. It attacked the lining of her brain, but it didn't win, she ran to Jesus. I have to remember the last time I saw her, I had stopped in on the way home from school and dropped of flowers. I left the children out in the car because I didn't think the shear mass of humanity that follows me would have been restful. She was awake but kept her eyes shut, the headache had been harder and harder to keep under control. I ended up chatting with her friend and as I was heading toward the door I said, "Now if you guys need anything, just yell."  Immediately, we heard a... yeah...I guess even she would have called it a squawk ,  from the bed. We both sort of jumped and turned toward the bed  to see the sick person's shoulders shaking with silent laughter!
When I got in the car with the children, they asked how she was doing. I wasn't sure what to say because just about a dozen days before she had been at church and looked not much different than in the past year.  I told them, "I think that Mary is wishing there was a fast forward button to get past this part. She knew for awhile that Heaven was coming soon, but to get there she had to go through this last part."
(side note: A woman who would choose Isaiah 54:5 for her funeral text was an interesting woman. We will sorely miss her sense of humor.)

Now the "Pause" button

Another woman, she is a foster mother - a good one. If anyone tells me again, "these Mennonites just foster for the pay."....well.... I hope I can keep my hands in my pockets, and be sweet.

This mother has a little one, for almost a year, she has sat up with him at night, nursed him through a hospital stay. Stayed home most of the winter because of his fragile immunity. Attached to him, so he knows what unconditional love looks like. Through all that she  knew there was a good probability that she would say "good-bye" one day.  That day is coming soon. We hope that the birth mother can keep her side of the bargain, the little one needs a big person to take care of him for awhile yet. This foster mom is wishing for a "pause" button.... time just slow down a little bit, one more giggle, one more lop-sided grin, one more "first".  That big world out there looks so cold and heartless and scary for 1/2 pint-sized people.  Prayers little one....that's all we can do.

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