Have you had a life changing event where you think “What in
the world just happened?” Was it an
unexpected move, loss of a job, a spouse wanting out or death of a loved
one? For me, it was the tragic loss of a
spouse.
The Beginning
While sitting on our patio on August 25th 1996
with my husband Dan, we were catching up on the past two weeks as he was in the
Military and just returned from his 2 weeks of training. We had been talking about our upoming 25th wedding anniversary which would be
in a couple of years and had narrowed it down to a couple of things. As Dan and I sat there talking about our
dreams, he gasped, turned white as a ghost and froze. We had two neighbors who were RN’s and came
right over as we called 911. This was
the day that would change my life as I knew it. It had been an mazing year for us as we had
many fun things that had happened. Our
youngest had just graduated from high school.
We had taken a few mini trips with friends and family. Along with a busy summer with two family
weddings, two family baby showers and three family reunions, we were talking of
our plans for the future.
My thought was what was I going to do and what was God
thinking…. As I learned to heal and
trust God for what His plan was for me, I could only trust in Him that He knew
what He was doing….Psalm 94:22 comes to mind as a verse I would rely on. It reads “But
the Lord has become my fortress and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”
Where do I go from here?
Unfortunately, in 1996 there wasn’t a lot of information offered
for widows or widowers. You were
expected to move forward and just try to figure it out – or that’s how I
felt. Thank goodness my oldest brother
walked beside me to help me heal as he had lost his first wife in a tragic car
accident.
Fast forward 17 years as I had been praying about where God
was leading and directing me. I was
attending a funeral in May of 2013 when the Chaplin at North Memorial
approached me about becoming involved with a group called The Widow Might
Organization. I thought – is this where
God wants me? I sensed God probing me,
but I resisted with this idea for quite a while. Finally, last spring I gave into what I felt
God was directing me to do. I spoke with
Danielle Allen and she walked me into Lynn Hanf’s office as there was a need at
MGEFC. And so the process began with
what we affectionately call The Women of
Light.
Where God is leading me......
It seems out of our greatest pain, God has a purpose. 1Timothy 5:16A reads: “If any women who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue
to help them …” with the guidance of Lynn Hanf and direction from the board
of The Widow Might Organization we began to move forward. With some research on what was available to
women who have traveled down this journey, we discovered there is a lot of
information out there... God is
faithful and He has promised to walk by our side and make us whole again.
If you are going through this journey or know someone who is
and would like to chat, please let me know.
I would be glad to talk with you or them.
Blessings and in God’s service,
