light and serious

We'll start off on a light note here with this funny picture. Steve took this picture during his recent travels to Russia on a missions trip. He saw her in the airport.



Now on a more serious note:

I got this from a co-worker. I doubt it's authenticity, but it's still a beautiful story, and illustrates God's love quite well.

Sally jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating
room. She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can
I see him?"

The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make
it."

Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more?
Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"

The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the
nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the
university."

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good-bye to son. She
ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair.

"Would you like a lock of his hair?" the nurse asked.

Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a
plastic bag and handed it to Sally. The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to
donate his body to the university for study. He said it might help somebody
else. "I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I
die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his
Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always thinking of someone
else. Always wanting to help others if he could."

Sally walked out of Children's mercy Hospital for the last time, after
spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's
belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was difficult.
It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings,
and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room. She started
placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly
where he had always kept them. She laid down across his bed and, hugging his
pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Laying beside her on the bed was a
folded letter. The letter said:

"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever
forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say I LOVE
YOU. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will
see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you
won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff
to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably
wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and
stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a
neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me
around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are
so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, y ou know what? Jesus doesn't look
like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus
himself took me to see GOD! And guess w! hat, Mom? I got to sit on God's
knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him
that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good-bye and everything.
But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed
me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think
Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to
you. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you
asked Him 'Where was He when I needed him?' "God said He was in the same
place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there,
as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To
everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have
to give God His pen back now. He needs it to write some more names in the
Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm,
sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore. The cancer is all
gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't
stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy
to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with

Love from: God, Jesus &Me.