My name is Linda and I am a devout Christian. I have not always been. I remember my mom telling me what comes around goes around. I just did not know how true this can be. My younger sister died in a car accident when she was twenty years old. Thus begins my story of living through grief. I thought this was hard. I got married two years later and had a beautiful bouncing baby boy three years later. He had a wonderful spirit and was such a beautiful charismatic child. His sister was born two and a half years later and he adored her. My father was a big force in my life and he loved my children. I lost him to cancer when my daughter was eight months old. Matthew remembered his Poppy but Jessica could not. He would tell her awesome stories about him and share what a great guy he was. I sometimes wonder if my dad had lived if Matthew would still be with us. He simply adored his Poppy.
Life went on and we lost some additional relatives. My son turned to drugs when he was sixteen. We did everything for him and were there for him. But the drugs proved too powerful for a man struggling between loving Christ and fighting his demons. We lost him April 28th, 2007 the day after my daughter Jessica turned eighteen. I praise God everyday that I am a believer because without my belief and the support I received from my Christian friends I don't think I would have left my bed.
If this was not enough, I lost my mother this past December. I truly believe that Matthew called her home because his Poppy missed her. She was only seventy-two. I would like to connect with anyone who can make this claim. I lost my dad the year my daughter was born and I lost my son the year my mom died.
God never promised us a rose garden. He told us that life would not be easy. I am living proof of this experience. But am I down. No. I have brought some of my non-Christian friends into truly looking for the answers that I found long ago. When you walk with Jesus Christ he will bring you healing of the heart. I had to love my family enough to let them go home to a world that is free of suffering and pain. A world that one-day I hope to enter. Jesus will call me safely home.
