When the Unexpected Happens

One day, when I was taking my dog, Teddy, for a walk around the block with my daughter and granddaughter, the unexpected happened.  We’d just finished dinner when my husband yelled out to us, as we approached my house, that his sister was in the hospital in the intensive care unit.  Our niece had taken her there.   My sister in law had just left the chapel and on her way home became disoriented.   Fortunately, she stopped and telephoned her daughter, who then came to her rescue.  Once they arrived at the hospital, my sister-in-law started having a seizure.  Immediately, my niece ran inside the hospital and got help.  A  few hours and a few tests later, it was discovered my sister-in-law had two masses on her brain and would require surgery.   

When this all happened years ago, the worry and concern the family had been going through was excruciating.   They were on pins and needles and realized there was nothing they could do except put the  matter in the hands of the doctor, but more importantly, in God’s.  As shocking as it was  for everyone, the reality was and is, that we’re never prepared for the unexpected -- ever! 

Now if you had known my sister-in-law, you’d have known she was  always conscious about doing the right thing to keep her body and mind healthy.  She ate well, kept herself very busy with the children and grandchildren, and more importantly, kept God at the forefront of her life.  She was  a devoted Catholic and an inspiration to her family and church community and fortunately for her, she recognized how precious life is and that she could never take it for granted.   She lived her life with that thought always in mind, knowing each day is a gift from God, and showed her appreciation to God by giving back to Him through her daily commitment to the church, community and family.

Although my sister in law wasn’t able to control what happened to her, she trusted in God as one of His faithful servants.  Oh sure, she may have been surprised by the unexpected, just like the rest of us, but fortunately for her, through her faith in God, she was READY -- to face whatever He gave her.

I wonder -- how many of us are?

Since I wrote this story, my sister in law has passed away.  She’d been fighting courageously her fight with brain cancer and now she is with God.