My intention in writing this blog is to celebrate a dear friend who is struggling with this nemesis. Today is my beautiful friend's birthday. We have been friends for 50 years now. We raised our children together and although we live 1200 miles apart, in recent weeks, we talk on the phone almost everyday. I often have to read between the lines as she struggles to communicate her thoughts. She laments the fact that she's alone since her husband passed away last year. Of course, this is devastating for any widow or widower, but the disease complicates her ability to process the details. She just can't comprehend how she's supposed to move forward without her soulmate and protector.
Nevertheless, in her typically kind fashion, she has been genuinely concerned about my husband's current health issues. Each time we talk on the phone, she either prays for him or promises that she will be praying. My dear friend firmly believes that God is able to heal our infirmities and her faith never wavers. She prays with clarity and an eloquence that at times escapes her in everyday conversation. Her prayers inspire me to believe that God cares about every detail of our lives and is intimately involved in them.
I can't contemplate my friend's struggle with dementia without shedding a tear, but I try to remind myself of the impact she's still having in my life and the lives of so many others. I think of James 5:16 "The earnest prayer of a righteous (woman) has great power and produces wonderful results." Her sincere faith challenges me to trust God with my current circumstances. And I hope that I will always remember that someone with mental limitations may still have the ability to connect to the Creator of the Universe in a supernatural way.
I thank God for the amazing gift of her friendship. She has been and continues to be a source of joy in my life. I pray that God will heal her, protect her from harm, and pour out abundant blessings in her life, on her birthday and everyday hence forth.
