(Taken from the title of The West Wing episode about Leo McGarry's death)
Abba, there has been a lot of death this year, or it feels like it. And now Mary Ann's condition does not seem hopeful for a cure or even an extended time of relief from her symptoms. She has been a difficult person for me to know and to enjoy; that is, not that she is difficult. She is simple, decent-hearted, and steadfast. She is not exactly intellectual, and she often talks and thinks in circles.
Abba, does she know You? I am not sure, although it is not mine to know. So, since I am uncertain, the right thing to do is to ask You for the opportunity to have someone of Your choosing to talk with her. Abba, make her comfortable. Please help her find great peace in her body and spirit. I can only imagine (song incoming!) what it would be like to be staring at death, but I would be staring into a glass darkly for a glimpse of Your face.
May she get that glimpse, even with her diminished earthly vision. May her heart and her spirit catch that glimpse of You, and may it comfort and even excite her! I believe I would feel that way — and I definitely want to.
May 23, 2026 Five weeks after her birthday episode that put her into the hospital and eventually into Hospice. She continues to linger, languish, and decline. She is a very strong woman who just does not give up, despite the medical odds being against her -- as they have been for decades.
ReplyDelete*You alone, Abba, are the One who knows the number of our days, and indeed the One who controls the number of our days. In these uncertain times, Abba, let us continue to praise You, to trust You, and to live confidently and securely in Your will.*