Another bump in the road

The past few weeks I have been skating past talking about my best friend's father. I lived in Memphis for almost 16 years, during that time I met my best friend. She like myself is an only child. We practically lived together when we were friends. We would vacation with each others family and spend hours upon hours together. Her parents were in many ways like my parents and vice versa. We remained close through college and she was very good friends with my ex husband. She was there when I met him when we were 15 yrs old. Her father was the Pastor of my church. We had church that bound all of us together. After my divorce our relationship changed. We still are friends and I doubt I will ever have a relationship like the one I had with her. The best of best friends. I miss the way it was a lot of the time but we are now adults. I spoke with her a few weeks ago. In our conversation she said, "We may be gone from one another but never left one another, just pick up where we left off." Her father has been battling cancer for the past year and 3 weeks ago had a massive stroke. I got an e-mail this morning that says they are giving her father days to weeks to live. Stating that 3 months would be the max but they do not expect him to make it to the end of the year. This man confirmed me into the Lutheran Church, he gave me my first communion, he married me to my first husband, he was with me during some very monumental times in my life. I am sad, very sad. I e-mailed her with a few things I needed to say to her and to him. He is pretty much just comfortable right now and waiting for the end. She and her Mother sound ready, knowing that the inevitable is coming, just waiting and hurting I am sure. I feel bad because words are hollow, but they are all that I have to offer. When the time comes, I will be there to be with them. To lay him to rest, for never being to a funeral, I am really making up for lost time this year.

All I can say is, this might have been the straw that broke my back in sanity. I am so thankful I got help. I am so very sad, but I am able to cope with the feelings, that is the most important. I do not feel doom and gloom. I feel sadness for the situation and hurt because we all are losing someone we love in this life. I feel sad because my friend is hurting and I cannot take the pain away from her and keep it for myself. So please if you could, say a little prayer for my friend Beth and her Mother and Father. Keep them in your thoughts for me, I would so appreciate it.

God Speed Pastor Hugel.