Angel Watch

The new year has started off with some sadness for us. We're still enduring the loss of Uncle Larry at the end of August, I learned in December that my Dad's diabetes and worsened and he now has to take insulin, one of my husband's uncles died, my father in law is in the hospital for heart tests and we are waiting to find out if the malignant tumor can be removed from my grandpa's throat. And a friend of our died yesterday. Someone our age. We attended school together, but I got to know him better several years afterwards. Mark was a musician and often came into the music store my Father-in-Law owned at the time. He was a really fun guy. He was almost always smiling and if you were in a bad mood when he came in, you were laughing and smiling within a few minutes and by the time he left, you forgot why you had been in a bad mood to start with. Mark had kids, siblings, more friends than you could count. Mark found out he had a heart condition several years ago and had to have a device that helped the blood flow though his heart. Over the years on pump failed, another clogged, he was on and off the transplant list and even got the call a couple times that there was a heart for him... only to find that the heart was not viable. His third device failed last month. When it was found that he also had a blood infection, surgery was out of the question. It also meant he would not be considered for a heart transplant. After exhausting all options, there was nothing more that could be done for Mark. He wanted to go home to spend what ever time he had with his family. Sadly that time was very short. He came home Saturday, January 11 and passed away the next day. 

All through Mark illness, all his family and friends prayed for him. We prayed for healing. We prayed he would live. We prayed for a miracle. I am not a particularly religious person. I don't attend church regularly, but I have beliefs. I believe prayer is powerful. I have seen people healed of illnesses and diseases big and small. When anyone bravely asks for people to pray for them or a loved one, faith denomination doesn't enter my mind. I pray. Mark's death yesterday has had me thinking a lot about prayer. I believe prayer is always answered. It's just sometimes not what we expected or desired. We prayed. Mark IS free of pain. And if there is a heaven, then he is healed. I think all of us praying for him were on what I think of as Angel Watch. He knew he had a small army praying for him. Our prayers sustained him and he made it home to spend those last precious hours with his family. Our prayers held watch over him until it was time for him to go.

No matter what your faith is or what you believe or even if you don't, when some one asks for prayer, honoring their request by saying a prayer or offering a positive thought for them is uplifting and beneficial. It never hurts and often helps. I don't have answers and I question things all the time. I don't know what comes next. I am human. I only know that being on Angel Watch (offering prayers) gives comfort during times of sorrow, pain, anxiety. And if that helps someone, then I am there. I am always open to saying a prayer or sending a good thought your way so don't ever hesitate to ask.

RIP Mark. We will miss you.

P.S. As I was writing today, my Father-in-Law was found to have a 95% blockage and had a stent put in. It's something my own Dad had to have done a little more than a year ago. It is something I think about all the time.. worry about... our time on this Earth is so short, it is but a blink in time. Tell the ones that matter that you love them. Be kind to others. You never really know.

Make it count.