The Epilog to “Irene’s Story” – Chapter 4
As a 39 year old mother of two teenage boys and the wife of the love of her life, Irene surely had many prayers that day when she first heard her doctor say “cancer”. Perhaps “Lord, let me see my boys graduate high school, and maybe even collage. And would it be too much to ask to meet their wives and see them in a home of their own? How about letting Kent and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary?” The life expectancy of breast cancer patients have improved immensely in the last 22 years, but back then, these were extremely tall requests of God. Yet God granted all these blessings and so much more. Irene held her grandchildren, accepted positions of influence in the cancer community, celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary as well as coauthored a deeply inspirational book. More than all of this, Irene radiated the love of Christ to all she touched.
In her book “Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Prove: Living an Aspiring Life” Irene related that “Having experienced a revival in my relationship with Christ, I have a great desire that others will claim their birthright and experience this wondrous love and peace for themselves. Christ is always reaching toward us, waiting to welcome our return to our Creator. But it takes action on our part to bring this about. We have to reach back and accept all that He offers us. Everything we do throughout our lives is an expression of our yearning for Him and His presence in our lives….This is what it means to live an aspiring life.”
In May 2007 we learned from scans that Irene’s cancer had returned in her liver and spread to her lungs. We engaged hospice in late July. We determined to carry through with our planned visit to the family farm in Virginia to celebrate her 61st birthday and spend a week with family at the beach. In that ten days she spent personal time with each family member assuring them that she was at peace with where she was and the outcome was in God’s hands. We returned home on August 9th and on Saturday, August 18th in early evening, surrounded by her husband and two sons, Irene passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. None of us were ready, but the Lord answered our prayers that if His plan was to call her home that she not suffer. Those prayers were answered and we take comfort in knowing that in accordance with God’s plan some day we will be reunited in heaven. Her memorial prayer was an expression of God’s perfect plan and our acceptance of His will.
God, give us your perspective on sickness, on loss, on death on healing. I don’t want to Change God’s mind. His thoughts are perfect, I want to think His thoughts. I don’t want to change Gods timing. His timing is perfect. I want to accept the grace of His timing. I don’t want to change God’s plan. His plan is perfect I want to embrace His plan and see Him glorified through it. Amen.