Grief Share

December begins for most people on the 1st of the month, but for others the 25th of the month seems to be the following Friday. Writing personal messages in our Christmas cards gives me time to pray about friends far and near.  My smart phone interrupted my solitude.  Our daughter was calling from Bellingham, Washington, sobbing and breathless as she spoke.  I couldn’t make out what she was saying; thoughts of our three young granddaughters, and James our son in-law who drives to Seattle and back each day, dashed through my head. Finally, she began to explain that Piper, her sister and brother and all their children were in Disney World for a week with their parents as a Christmas gift from their Mother, Nana and Stepfather, Papa.  Piper is one of our daughter’s special friends and Jack and I love her as well. Piper and her mother enjoyed riding roller coasters together since she was a young child.  That day they had screamed with joy and laughed, stepping from their seats onto the walk-way, Nana began to feel terribly uncomfortable.  Nana’s husband and Piper helped Nana to a bench as her children and nine grandchildren watched.  Papa alerted a Disney employee to send for an ambulance for his wife.  Immediately the EMT’s were administering aid and placed her in the ambulance leaving for the nearest hospital.  Children were taken to the hotel with an uncle and Nana’s children and husband raced to the hospital. By the time they arrived to the emergency room, plans had been made for Flight for Life to take Nana to a larger hospital where a group of specialty doctor’s would treat her. Nana’s husband and children now knew she was in critical condition. Again, the family drove to another unfamiliar area to locate another hospital. Nana had suffered a brain hemorrhage and now was on life support.  The doctors determined that the extent of her brain damaged was over 80%.  Papa and her children prayed and then took Nana off life support, which was her desire if she was in a situation such as this.  The family remembered words Nana had said to the family, “One day I will see you all in Heaven.” The following Sunday during Sunday school, I asked for prayers for Piper and her family.  Jim and Diane Weil were present and Jim suggested Grief Share for Piper and her family after our class.  I had never looked into this literature, but after Jim explained its effectiveness and the booklet, “Surviving the Holidays,” Jack and I made arrangements to pick up the booklet.  Both Jim and Diane gave us two books and reinstated important areas within the booklet.  Jack and I walked through its contents and mailed the booklet the same day with prayers.  Piper told our family that she could not have gotten through the holidays without this information and is still re-reading its pages. -In Him, the Lord who knows our needs, Lauralee Caubin.