How am I you ask?

I'm sad, a high school friend died today.
So young.
The father of five.
His wife now a widow...

Oh...
I'm scared to tell you what happened.
You don't know it but you two are so close...
Yes, even though you never met...

He died of cancer.

He was diagnosed, a week maybe two, before she was.  He had the same treatments, was on the same schedule as her at least until his was interrupted with pneumonia.  Even still he went home and began the treatments again.  Last Friday he spiked a fever. After being admitted into the hospital he, in the white hospital bed, and his wife beside him heared the doctor say, the cancer had spread to his blood, his bones, even his heart.

But yours and her story is different. Her doctor said, once she gets through all these treatments she has almost no chance of this sickness returning.

So young and God has given her another chance at life.  A gift not many others have.

God said yes to you, friend.  He only had cancer in one muscle.  She had cancer in every single bone, and still God said, "heal her tiny body."

Friend God loves you.  God loves her.

It's important that you know this also, God loves this Father and his children too.

They have also received a life changing gift.  Sadness is a strong emotion, but they have been given a gift of an emotion that is still a stronger one; Joy, never ending always living; Joy.  Today friend he lives, in pure joy and holiness walking with his Creator, your Creator, baby girl's Creator.  Only hours ago his wife, now widow, mother of five, now single mother knows this Joy.  Yes, even the widow knows this Joy.  It runs deeper then her grief.  It is always abounding and she knows it.  She trusts it.

I know these things to be true because she told me so.

This God of Joy loves the widow, as much as he loves your baby girl.  Someday friend may you and baby girl also know this Joy, this forever living Joy.  Someday friend I hope we sit and talk deeply in heart changing ways about this Joy.  Someday friend I hope you meet this father and his widow.  Someday I hope that the four of us sit with the Creator talking about the sickness of 2013, the one that took him from his family, but was spewed from her body.  When we have this talk may we fully see the Joy that was given everyday that year.

Remember, friend you are loved by the God of the the heavens and the earth.