Fire victims, the Joneses, Wayne and his wife, Ellen, are happy to hear from their new Tennessee friend, Louisiana Sandusky, who now responds to their latest letter. She has sent them a care package.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005, 6:45 p.m, C.D.T.~
Dear Wayne and Ellen~
You are most welcome for the package our church sent; it may not help out that much, but it should be a start. I only wish that there was a lot more we could do for you during this difficult time in your lives.
Regarding the books we sent, I know you may not agree with all that I wrote in them, but my Christian faith is very important to me and my family, and God has been very good to all of us, even during the worst possible times. He got us through some of the most heartbreaking ordeals you can ever imagine, including the deaths of my mother, my three biological children, and my sister and her family, the deaths of patients or friends I had met through the years, the serious illnesses of several of my children, the storm damage that we incurred last year during a particular vicious thunderstorm complex that hit Nashville (we were left without a home for a month until repairs could be made; we stayed at a homeless shelter for about a month), and also my recent back surgery (and all of the suffering that I had to go through before my surgery). God has also been good to my husband, through his mental crises, his breathing, and his back and joint pain, and also the period when he was looking for gainful employment (but was oftentimes met with failure because of his serious medical problems). God also has been there for each and every one of my children, and we have all learned to love and trust in Him with our whole hearts, and He has never let us down...EVER.
Sure, you may not agree, but God is as real as you and I are, and He is the Reason why we have been so blessed. He has given us a home to live in, food in our bellies, money when we needed it, and so much more, and He even brought our Miracle Children to our home--and into our hearts. So don't ever say God isn't REAL because He IS. He may sometimes give us "crosses" to bear, but somehow, in His Own Special, Omnipetent way, He gets us through the valleys and brings us back to the mountaintop, each and every time! Sure, we may not understand His Reasoning from time to time--why people fall ill or die, why people lose faith, or lose everything they have--, but He knows what He is doing, and every single event in our life has a purpose that only HE can understand. We may not understand at the time why bad things happen, but He has a plan for all our lives, and for every life, there is a season, and there are reasons that things, good AND bad, happen to people. It may seem confusing or hard to comprehend, but if you get to know God or spend some time in prayer or in the Word, you will soon learn to discover just what God has in store for our lives, and what His Plan exactly is.
Everyone has bad times in their lives; you are certainly NOT alone in that department! It's all a part of the plan, and nobody is immune from tragedy, unfortunately. But with God, He CAN help, and He is ALWAYS there, no questions asked! We will most certainly keep you both in prayer, and do remember this: if you need anything, ANYTHING at all, or even need to rant or just talk, we are as close as our comptuer and our phone! We will make ourselves available to you if need be!
Well, we must go; sorry if this is short, but we have to get the troops to bed (plus I have to get up at the crack of dawn; actually BEFORE the crack of dawn; THERAPY DAY tomorrow for some of the kiddoes!), and we won't be far behind. I will write more later; until then, this is Louie saying best wishes to you both, and know that we are here to help you in any way we possibly can! You are in our prayers!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tennessee friend, Louisiana. :(
Karen your stories always lift the spirits when you describe people who have so much difficulty and most have such great attitudes, it's an example for all!Wonderful write!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005, 6:45 p.m, C.D.T.~
