Life's lessons

I can't say that I have enough exciting stuff going on in my life to write on this blog THAT often, but I figure an update every once in a while would be good (huh karisse?).

This is a picture of my Grandma Anderson and I in Indiana this past week. I have had the chance to spend a lot of unplanned time with her in the last few weeks. I think I have racked up somewhere between 8000 to 10,000 frequent flyer miles in the last 3 weeks. I flew to indiana to take care of my Aunt Karen (my mom's sister) who had cancer, helping her in whatever way necessary. I will admit it was probably the most difficult thing I have done in my life...to watch someone that you love wither away. But God never ceases to amaze me. It was during that week that God showed me new things about Himself, about my aunt and about myself as well. He revealed a couple things to me thatI will continually pass on as lessons learned.

One of the lessons that stands out is this: during the days that I was sitting with my aunt, I offered to read her passages from the Psalms. As I was reading, I would hesitate because so many times, David would cry out to God to save him from death, to show mercy. And God did. God delivered David...He saved his life and allowed him to life many more years. I cringed everytime I read a passage like that because I knew, barring a miracle, things were not looking good for her. I decided that I would read ahead and avoid reading those chapters, but God stopped me and told me that all He had done for David, he has done for Aunt Karen as well. He did show her grace and mercy and gave her life...ETERNAL life. Our minds focus a lot on this world, on these bodies. But it says in the Bible that God put eternity in the hearts of men, that we long for home in heaven, looking forward to being face to face with Jesus. That is our goal, our prize, that is our life's longing. My aunt lived her life as an offering to God, as a light to those around, seeking to bring God glory through good times and bad. And it was because of this relationship she had with God that she was such an example of unconditional love.

And I got the chance to see people come by and tell her how much she meant to them throughout that week. It seemed like the house always had at least one extra person in it, having a heart to heart with her, thanking her for the influence she had in their lives, and the love she showed to them.

Karen Ann Anderson Schoff passed away on October 1, 2005. I count myself blessed to have known her, to have been impacted by her love, to have called her my aunt.