Yesterday, a dear friend of mine had a brain aneurysm that almost took her life. When I first heard the news, I was taken over with an overwhelming sense of sorrow. I was torn between wanting to go immediately to her side or giving her husband some space to process what was happening. After realizing that I couldn’t do anything at that moment, I decided to run the errands that I had planned on doing. First, I went to the DMV and renewed my driver’s license and then I went to the post office to mail a package.
I felt numb as I stood in line waiting for my name to be called, looking around at all of the different shades of humanity that lined the walls. Thinking about how precious life is and how easily it could be taken from us. After leaving the DMV, I made my way to the post office where I ran into an old friend from my past. She immediately asked about me and I couldn’t help but begin to cry. Concerns about my friend flowing freely.
I then asked her about how she was doing and she told me how she had had stage four colon cancer. She explained how God was ever present throughout her long treatment and recovery period. She shared how her relationship with God had been transformed because of the cancer and how she was truly grateful for it. As I listened to her, I couldn’t help but think about how God had placed her in my path at just the right time. He gave me the gift of hope which I will forever be thankful for.
Yesterday afternoon, I did get to see my friend. She was extremely groggy but clearly thankful for having survived. When I walked into the room, it was clear she was glad to see me and began asking about my family. With all that she had been through, she cared enough about me to look beyond herself. I couldn’t help be in awe of having such a dear friend, a true treasure from God.