It's Not Fair.To which I reply, like every other parent:
Life's Not Fair.Today I would like to add that death, especially, is not fair.
Yesterday the world lost--and heaven gained--a freakin' angel. Ann Bates lost her second battle with brain cancer. While we take some small measure of comfort in knowing she is restored and at peace, we grieve for our loss. We grieve that Ann leaves behind her young son Nicholas, her husband Chris, her parents, and all her extended family and friends.
Despite pretending via this blog to be a writer, words have a way of failing me when they really count. In particular, moments when my freakin' angel friends offer Scripture to comfort and ease the pain of suffering, I am woefully inadequate. I especially struggle to "pray well with others." All I know is that God somehow let us down. He took from us someone unbelievably good, with a kind and generous spirit, a beautiful smile, an unshakable faith, an inspiring level of love for family, friends, and strangers alike, and a penchant for medical terminology and extra-long conversations. Perhaps God just needed someone like Ann up there with Him. Though I would certainly argue that we need the Anns of the world right here on earth with us.
I have written about our dear Ann before, four times in fact, most recently during my "mad as hell" phase. Please see the April 20, 2010 post to read what her Freakin' Angel friends had to say about her during happier times, shortly before she and her family moved to Princeton.
I leave you with this quote from Scripture as shared by our friend Theresa:
Welcome home, Ann....I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly you will find me. I will be found by you, says the Lord. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land. -- Jeremiah 29: 10-14, New Living Translation
4 comments:
I am so so so so sorry. Your words are beautiful, Kim and you do Ann - and all of us proud. xxoo
Kim - Even though I haven't seen you in person in many years and have never met your friend Ann I still feel your grief and will be praying for you both.
Jim
Kim, I am so sorry for the loss of an Angel. If I can just share with you shortly before my sister died (cancer really does suck) we talked about how so many people ask "Why, God". She took her cancer as God's chance to work through her to bring so many other people to Him - people who helped her, who prayed more because of her, who helped other people in her honor and in her memory. I miss my sister every day, but I do truly know that "The Lord works in Mysterious ways".
Thank you for your words and thoughts about Ann's passing.
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