My Friend

My friend lost his wife today. She died without notice, at 48, of an aneurysm. She was left on life support for a day to enable organ transplants. She left 3 high school girls whose lives were intimately connected with their mom. Things I learned over the last two days:

- loving and helping others after devastation is always good, I will never again question whether I should or shouldn't. I always will at least try and then get a sense of whether I'm needed.
- Williams is a wonderful company, at its best in these crises. The corporate jet was sent to pick up Kathy's family in Pittsburg, my boss gratefully allowed me to spend as much time at the hospital as I needed, just the right number of people came and provided all the support needed, all costs incurred could be expensed, the Board of Directors was meeting and someone who was there said she could actually feel a sense of love and care for the family - she said at her previous employer they would have been asking when he'd be back to work.
- most people in these situations need grandma sitters, mothers or in-laws of the deceased who are lost and alone and need someone to talk to most of the day
- mothers are SO crucial to a family; Kathy's service to her family will be utterly irreplaceable.
- God will provide, I'm sure of it.
- There are special graces at these times - Bryan isn't Catholic, but I felt like he needed something he can put in his pocket and hold when he needs help - something about St. Joseph; I found JUST the thing at the bookstore, a large coin that has St. J's pic with "Patron Saint of Fathers" and a prayer on it.
- My role in this was impressed upon my heart due to something quite amazing that happened the night she woke with the aneurysm. I couldn't sleep and was watching clips of the inaugural. While watching Obama and his wife dance I thought about Bryan and Kathy dancing for some reason - I very rarely think of either of them while at home - they reminded me of them. It was right around the time that she became brain dead. Some day I'll tell Bryan. I think he escorted her, dancing, into heaven.

Please pray for my friend and his daughters Meghan, Kristen and Lauren.