I continued to attend Grace Community Church in Goshen following Scott’s move to heaven. In late January 2012, I received an email from the church secretary regarding an elderly member whose husband had recently passed away. Her daughter in Fort Wayne was concerned about her and had asked if anyone in the church could talk to her mom or share a meal with her in her grief. The daughter had tried to get her mom to relocate out of town to live with her, but the mother wanted to stay in her own home. She traveled to Goshen and stayed with her mother every weekend. This allowed her to take care of errands, doctor appointments, and necessary shopping for her mom’s needs on Mondays. Her mother loved going out to eat and playing 500 Rummy with her daughter. Her mom was able to live alone and care for herself but was lonely and understandably sad with the death of her husband.

The email included the contact info for this lady, whose name was Betty. I called her several times with no answer, so the next day I mailed her a card and provided my phone number. Betty called me the day she received my card and we spoke a while on the phone. We agreed upon a time for me to visit. We talked at her home for a while and then had dinner at a local restaurant. This became our weekly routine on Wednesday nights. She was a delightful person with a sweet disposition. I understood her raw grief as I was still grieving over Scott, and I was comfortable as she shared her feelings and tears. She talked about her husband and their life together, and I listened in understanding with silent prayers. This proved to be healing for me as well at that time.

I began making plans to relocate to Knoxville a few months later and did not see her again. I contacted her after I settled into my new home in Tennessee, and I was happy to receive a note from her in response.

In January of 2014, I saw a post on the church Facebook page that this little lady had moved to heaven. I was saddened and surprised, and I hoped that she had not suffered before her death. In early May 2014, I received a card from her daughter, Alice, in Fort Wayne. She explained that she had found my name and address in her mother’s belongings and wanted to tell me about her mom. She thanked me for my friendship with her mother and shared some sweet things her mom had said about me. She loved her mother dearly. Her phone number was included in the friendly message and I called her subsequently. We talked about her mom’s death and her grief over this loss. We cried some and laughed a little, and we prayed before we got off the phone, particularly with the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday. I thanked her for contacting me and felt blessed by our interaction on the phone. She told me if I ever returned to Northern Indiana to please contact her so we could meet and I agreed.

Two book signings were scheduled in Goshen over the July 4th weekend in 2016, so I contacted Alice about meeting. I planned to travel to Fort Wayne while I was in Goshen; however, time did not allow for that trip and I had to cancel. I was very disappointed as I had looked forward to meeting her in person.

Recently, I contacted Alice and suggested meeting, as I am presently staying in Goshen. We agreed on a date and I drove down to Fort Wayne yesterday. We had a lovely day. She and her husband prepared a delicious meal and we talked for hours. We shared memories of her mom and my husband, and I told her about “Showered By Grace”. It was as though I had known her all my life. We laughed and cried and enjoyed every moment. We made a commitment to keep in touch while sharing a last hug before I left in the late afternoon. I gave her a signed copy of my book as well to read and to share with others who might benefit from God’s story and amazing love. I marveled at this connection, now, after the years have passed, and thanked God for this special time with Alice as I drove back home.

Upon returning to Goshen last year, God directed my steps to a different church, located in Elkhart. I learned today, after service, that Betty has a granddaughter who attends this same church and her mother is one of Alice’s sisters. Talk about a small world, and I am in awe of the timing of these intersections. Our lives are like threads in the hands of God, the Master Weaver. What a picture we will see someday when the finished work is revealed.