Death is such a hard thing to understand, even for an adult. To try & grasp why God would take a mother from two beautiful little girls & a husband that needs her, is definitely hard to understand.
Yesterday I felt pain like I've never felt before- some would call it grieving. I found myself weeping on my kitchen floor, crying out to God, begging Him to not take her. I was believing & praying for a miracle & yet it didn't come. Maybe it was just her time to be called home, but, why?
She now has two little girls that won't grow up having a momma to braid their hair, or have random dance parties with, or help them get ready for their first school dance or their wedding day & every moment in between that a daughter simply needs a mother for, but that Josh will now have to try his hardest to fill.
Stephanie was a childhood friend, she was closer to my older sisters, but has been in our lives since I was about 5 or 6 years old...Our worlds drifted apart, she got married, I moved away, but social media kept us close, I got to see her have seven wonderful years of marriage & in that time bring two beautiful daughters into this world.
Josh now has to take on the role of Momma & Daddy & even though it will be hard for quite some time, he will do great, because even though we can't see her, Stephanie will be there right beside him, helping him along in this journey.
Stephanie's time was cut short here on Earth, she only got twenty-six years to impact people's lives, but we get to rejoice in the fact that she is now in the place we can only dream of right now. She knows the face of our Creator- she's seen her name in the lamb's
book of life & has been welcomed into the throne room of God. She's
held the hand of the Man that made this entire world- the Man that
formed her in her mother's womb.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." -Jeremiah 1:5
Most of all, she is now reunited with her older sister, Priscilla- Oh what a great reunion that must have been!
Yesterday when I heard the news that she had passed on, my first thoughts were- "how can this be God's plan? Why didn't He perform a miracle?" I'm not angry at God, but I did find myself blaming Him & that's not fair. But, it's our initial thought, isn't it? & I know that's not what Stephanie wanted- No one is to blame for this, it was her time. None of us can understand why, but it's through God that we need to seek comfort. We need to cling to Him in the time of grieving & mourning.
Stephanie won't be soon forgotten, her life lives on in her daughters, Tiffany & Bailey.
What a great legacy to leave behind.
Her brother posted this verse today-
Matthew 5:4 "God blesses those who mourn."
You are loved, Stephanie.
-Hannah
