The Restless Weaver
I've been rattled the past few days, shaken up by some bad news I received from a friend over the weekend. We've never met in person before, yet somehow this woman found me, and we're kindred spirits of sorts. We come from two totally different worlds; Lord only knows why we've been brought together. She's been at the end of her rope financially and emotionally for the past six months, and I've been praying for a miracle. It sounds like it's a Midwestern soap opera, but this is the real deal and a reality for so many poor in our country:
She lost her minimum wage job a few months back, which left her unable to pay for her car. Sadly, the repo man came last month for it. There's been no way for her to cover the mortgage on her trailer, and that is also set to be snatched back by the bank this week. My friend and her son, who has some mental health issues, will need to find a place to live very soon, but the news they got this Saturday morning stopped them in their tracks:
My friend's son is the father of twins - a boy and a girl - who turned one Christmas Day. Their mother left her house Saturday morning and fell asleep at the wheel and crashed her car, leaving these two precious one year old babies and an 11-year-old daughter behind. She was also married, so her husband has been left behind to carry this heavy burden. (Yes, you read that correctly...)
My heart has been breaking for my friend since Saturday. I have been hoping and praying for some miracle for these three children, especially the babies, as their father is not capable of taking care of them. I hope and pray there is some greater plan here that will unfold soon and bring a miracle - some windfall - their way. I've called on many a spiritual warrior and have even reached out to some local churches down in Oklahoma for help, though I must tell you, I feel somewhat hopeless. This has kept me going:
In church on Sunday, we sang the hymn Restless Weaver, which speaks of God loving everybody and how we're all meant to pull one another into the fray - young, old, black, white, Indian, Asian, rich, or poor. We are all connected. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one feels joy, we all feel joy. When others might have walked away, I've chosen to listen and to be a friend to this woman who's been so down on her luck.
Ironically, these two men - each of them playing the role of father to these babies - have come together in this time of immense grief and chaos. They've put their differences aside for the sake of the three children. Tonight, they found a notebook in her car at the crash site, with this beautiful song from Nat King Cole. Perhaps it's a message from above, letting these two men know that somehow everything will be okay and to please find a way to smile. A ray of hope in a bleak situation never hurts...
God, please help this family get through the darkness. Prayers welcome...
