Sad Times

Given my last post, it's sad the way I get so caught up in the things of this world that don't really matter. God can quickly give us reminders of how insignificant so many things are in the scope of eternity, and that's just what happened earlier this week.

Sunday morning David's dad called to tell us that Mark, my sister-in-law's stepdad, was in the hospital. It did surprise us since he was so young and had always been healthy. It surprised David even more at how shook up his dad was each time he talked to him that day, so we knew something was really wrong. We definitely kept Mark and his family in our thoughts and prayers throughout the day Sunday and Monday. It was Monday night that David's dad called to tell us he had passed away.

Since I hadn't talked to David's dad through any of it, I was actually optimistic that he had made it through a couple of days and in my mind, that meant he was most likely going to be okay. I spent the rest of the night Monday with my mind going a million miles a minute first trying to remember the times that we had spent with him when our families were all together, then trying to imagine how Codi (my sister-in-law) and her mom must be feeling, how they were doing, pleading with God that He would bring them peace and comfort. Then my thoughts turned to all the other times when I learned that death is a part of life. Grandparents, great-grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles, and most recently, two of my cousins, one 28, the other only 16. That's when I started to dread what we were to face. This wasn't to be one of the happy, celebration-type funerals of a life that was long-lived, full and rich for a person who was ready for God to call them home. I only was at one of my cousin's funerals, Danny's, and it was undoubtedly the hardest of them all. Mark's was a life that was cut short in the eyes of all who knew him, and that's when it's so hard, when it's all too soon.

Yesterday's service turned out to be wonderful, and I know it blessed me to be a part of it, and I'm grateful David and I were here. It's in these times when God makes you stop in your tracks and turn to Him with questions, that He gives you answers and promises. Many you've heard before, some you need just for the day.

I must admit that I had become so discouraged over the last month. It all started with Hurricane Katrina and me watching the news hour after hour. When I was more down and out than I had been in a long time a couple weeks into it, I realized that was the source of it all. I really have had a focus on the world, all the mess, and trying desperately to look for the good in it all. Somehow Mark's death gave me the same disparity and frustration all that had, but at the same time, it gave me hope. Grateful for David, for my family, for my work, and for all that God is at work to accomplish. We all need those reminders at times that life is so short as it is, and so precious. A verse they shared during the service and my prayer throughout all of this for myself: Psalms 90:12, "Teach us to number our days aright so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Please keep Codi and her mom and the rest of Mark's family in your prayers as the days to come will be especially hard on them.