Tuesday 14 April 2009

There's been some sad stuff going on in my life lately. 10 days ago, I received a phone call that an old friend (who was actually my mother's boyfriend after she & my dad divorced) was dying in a hospice of colon cancer that had metasized to his liver.
I went to see him the next night, and he knew me. He was lucid, and talked intelligently for 75% of the visit (which is a gift from God, I'm sure).... Towards the end, when his meds kicked in, he started rambling, and muttering....
I won't lie to you - I was completely dumbfounded when I saw him. I had no idea that a man could get THAT thin and still be alive. (He was about 100 lbs and 5'11")

I was supposed to go see him today, and I got another call last night saying that he is not eating or drinking at all (and he has specific orders for no IV and no feeding tube) - he is just getting meds to keep the pain manageable. My mom sounded really shook - they've loved each other for 40 years, and he didn't know her. She advised me to think about not going...
So of course, I started praying and thinking about her advice.

I ended up not going today.... I felt like if I was to go, it would not be to encourage him, or uplift him.

And another weird thing..... Since I found out about him, and his cancer, I've been seriously interceding at every opportunity... For God to soften my friend's heart towards His love, and for God to open the eyes and ears of his heart so that he can see God in all His Fullness... On Saturday, I was praying for him, and since then? God has taken away all of the burden to pray for my friend (which is weird)... I've been praying that the Lord would be merciful to him, and that He wouldn't allow the suffering to continue. And I've been praying a blessing on the family. That's all I really feel the freedom to pray! So odd!

So that's it. I'll write more later....

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