A God-Incident

Friday I received a totally unexpected email. Joni Woelfel, author of Daily Meditations for Survivors of Suicide, wrote to me! (You may remember my frequent comments about the book.) What a God-thing, to connect me with a woman who lost her young adult son to suicide, who can understand so well the never-ending (although varying in degrees) pain—and tell me I will survive.

She said in part, “I remember well how utterly brutal those early months were . . . I'll be checking to read your thoughts as time goes on---such a long journey ahead of you. As a mentor said to me, ‘I promise you can make it.’ How I needed those words---and I only believed her because she had lost a child and had been there. One day that person will be you, saying it to others as I do now. Blessing your tears and applauding your valiant spirit.”

Thank you for coming alongside of me, Joni, for being God’s voice and hands. Through you, God gave me much needed strength, peace, comfort.