Oh my precious Mary! Praise be to God!

In 2013, tradegy struck my town. A three and a half year old little girl was struck and killed by a car. The little girl's mother watched in horror, screaming for her child to stop. But that day, the little girl went Home to be with her Lord and Savior. I was devastated to learn that I knew the little girl's mom, Mary. Mary and I grew up together--school, Girl Scouts and athletics. After graduating high school we each went our own ways, and we lost contact.

Being terribly grieved for my friend, I attended the little girl's funeral. After so many years, Mary and I briefly reconnected. But Mary was in such a state of shock; it greatly burdened my heart to see her so grief stricken. Ever since that encounter, I have prayed for Mary. I have prayed she would find joy; I prayed God would bless her with another child.

Today, I suddenly remembered another friend whose brother has been sick in ICU with blood clots. I hopped on Facebook to check to see if she had any updates. As I was reading her post, I happened to see Mary had left a reply. "Mary! Sweet Mary! I wonder how she is doing?" So, I clicked on Mary's name leading me to her Facebook page. (Praise be to God, although Mary and I are not friends on Facebook, I could still see some of her posts and photos.) I wept as I read a message that her little girl was now in heaven with her daddy. Oh, how tragic! I did know that Mary's husband had died prior to the death of her little girl. I cannot imagine the grief and sorrow Mary must have endured in such a short time frame.

My heart was filled with praises to God as I saw that God had blessed Mary with a little boy in 2015. To see a smile on Mary's face brought tears of joy to my eyes. A tremendous sense of peace has filled my soul. After praying for Mary for so many years, it is such a joy and blessing to know prayers have been answered. "Oh Lord, thank You for hearing all my prayers. Thank You for blessing Mary with another child. Thank You for allowing joy and happiness to return to Mary's life! Please Lord protect Mary and her family. Please allow their lives to be filled Your love. Thank You for Your abundant blessings. Amen."