God

This morning I woke up on my birthday and started grumbling to my husband about an e-mail I received last night. After breakfast I found a couple of other things to complain about-- until in the shower God brought to my mind the Haitian woman I saw on the news last night. She lost all five of her children in the earthquake. Her husband was holding her down because she sounded as though she would lose her mind. He was afraid to let her up. The same God who hears my confession of unthankfulness is the same God who comforts the oppressed. My prayer is that God would give this pitiful mother a hope for the future and open her eyes to His goodness in the middle of her devastation.

Freddie

My cousin Freddie passed away last night. He was born with Muscular Dystrophy and struggled with this disease his entire life...as did his family. There is great sorrow amongst his family today as well as the reminder that 10 men and boys in our family suffer or have suffered from this painful, debilitating sickness. I feel as though I have no right to even mention their suffering because in God's providence my brothers and nephews and son have been spared this malady....but I have observed and witnessed the agony, the sadness and fear that my grandmother, my Aunt Barbara, my Aunt Linda, Cousin Pam, Cousin Mary Jo, Cousin Angie and Cousin Jenny have lived with in having sons with Muscular Dystrophy. Today I offer my love and prayers for them all..that God would give them comfort, peace, understanding and insight in the middle of their grief and that they would be knitted together in their love for one another.