Saturday, December 20, 2008

C.S. Lewis


A quote I was sent today:
"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us;
we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."



One of my oldest & dearest friends sent me an email this morning asking me to pray for them.
Her husband was in Liverpool ICU with suspected Meningococcal Meningitis.
My heart broke & I thought this is how people must have felt last year when I told them that David had Leukaemia. Helpless. Sad. Shocked. Prayerful. 

Tonight news came through that he was responding to the drugs. 
What a relief...though it's serious & he's in isolation. 

We are all so fragile.

David got home from a bike ride with Eric last night & hoiked up his lunch all over the front garden. This is not the body of a healthy man yet. But he is trying sooooo hard to get some fitness back. I think Pilates is much better. I stagger around after gym sessions...so I understand. 

I took Bonnie to a birthday party this afternoon. Near me sat a Dad who survived cancer too. The birthday girl's mum spoke about her own Dad going for a walk one night & being killed - she was only 13. I don't know what's worse. Watching your father die, or never getting the chance to say goodbye? She also had a lovely downs syndrome son - who they were told to abort. Yet he is so precious to them. He kept pinching Bon's food when she wasn't looking which was quite funny...it reminded me that we all have our journey, & we are all walking along our own road, trying to encourage each other as best we can. Surely no-one can escape suffering?

Before I left a parent/teacher grabbed me by the hand & said how much she would miss D as Principal. I choked up & she choked up. Despite the fact that he's not in 100% of health, I think we are all going to miss him in that role. We feel like the rug has been  pulled out from under us...can't get our heads around it all...yet here's to 2009. We all face it together! My husband is alive, my children are well & we love each other so much. I know that the $$ will be tight - but surely we can make it through this coming year. We got through 2007, 2008 - surely we can do 2009?

C.S. Lewis - a brilliant man. Also a man that was no stranger to suffering himself so he doesn't write from some perfect ivory tower. Life certainly can be painful, yet I firmly believe that in the end there will be answers. 

2 comments:

Tracy, mom2many said...

oh gosh yes. wondering how painful the best will be.....

Really, I just want to be comfortable. I don't want refined, I want comfortable. God wants more for me, He loves me that much, but some days, I wish He would just settle for comfortable too.

Karin said...

I feel often a need to not put things off. Although I still do. Inside I am a procrastinator! But when I watch Magnus growing up so fast, I am aware of the finality of things - whatever they may be. Perhaps it's the simple things; like all of a sudden one day, no more nappies. The day before was the last day to wear nappies. Perhaps it's because of our experiences with death, but I seem to take note of those 'last days', however simple they may be.

No real point, just aware of life's transitions - big and small.