When we have a very close friendship with someone, we tend to have a lot of things in common. My friend Tammy and I weren’t just born a few months apart, but we traveled similar paths in our lives. The most significant thing we both experienced, and what started our friendship, was watching our fathers endure long illnesses and grieving when they passed away from this world.

⁹Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: ¹⁰if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

This past year was filled with pain, physically and emotionally, for my dear friend. There were so many different doctors and medical tests and procedures and time spent in hospitals. In a matter of months, she endured more storms than most people go through in decades! We’d talk or text nearly every day. I’d pray for her and added her to prayer chains at our church and on social media. At times, Tammy would be so frustrated and in pain, she’d talk of giving up; but I’d turn the conversation around to the hope we find in Jesus. Her mood would then be brighter and she’d be determined to fight some more. She told me she would hum “Amazing Grace” during the many medical tests, and it relieved her anxiety.

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7

Yes, there were many times Tammy‘s faith would be shaken, but she held onto the promise of God‘s love for us. On that morning before dawn, when I watched the sky fill up with dark red clouds, and I learned that my sweet best friend had finished her journey in this world, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace come over me. I’ve since cried a lot, missing my friend, expecting to see her name on the caller ID when my phone rang. But that morning I knew in my soul that she was safe and whole and completely happy! It was a feeling of comfort and peace I felt 18 years ago when I said goodbye to my Dad.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18

I was his princess and admittedly spoiled by him. But he taught me to be a good person, to love books and music, how to grow food in our suburban backyard, how to fill out a score card at countless baseball games at Yankee Stadium, and how to keep being a good person even when life is often unfair. He’d tell me about his life as a child and his time in the Air Force. There was always a sadness in him though. His mother suffered a lengthy illness and passed away when he was 12. Then his father passed away three years later. His maternal grandparents cared for him until their passing a few years later. When he met my Mom, he no longer had family of his own.

During his battle with cancer, my Dad was often in the hospital. My Mom would stay with him all day, then I’d head there after work and stay with him till late at night. Often, I read my Bible while he slept. One evening, my Mom seemed extra tired after our cafeteria dinner. A few hours later, my Bible in my lap, I prayed for God to give us the strength to go through this season. Instantly, I felt a wave of peace and comforting warmth fall over me and embrace me. And I knew that my Mom and I would be alright.

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10

That hospital oncology ward became such a familiar place. My Mom eventually stayed overnight on a cot next to my Dad’s bed. She called me from there the morning he went Home to be with Jesus. My boyfriend (now husband) JC drove me to the hospital to see my Dad one last time. I then drove my Mom in her car to make arrangements at the funeral home, but they had another grieving family scheduled for a meeting, so we spent a couple hours doing what she and my Dad often did…. picking up some McDonald’s and parking by the Hackensack River to eat.

Now I confess, I am a lifelong fast-food junkie! But I never eat a lot at one sitting, and I’d usually get the kids’ meal. I’ve completed whole collections of the toys they put in the little boxes … always that one special toy! So on that sad day, as my Mom and I tried to comfort each other, I slowly pulled out a little Disney character and put it on the dashboard, followed by the burger and fries. At that point in our conversation, I mentioned that Dad was OK now and finally back with his mother. Right as those words left my mouth, I  pulled out a second toy from the box … Mrs. Potts and Chip, the mother and son characters from “Beauty and the Beast!” It took a few seconds to breathe again! I was in complete awe! Decades of countless happy meals, and there was never more than one toy. And what those characters symbolized at that exact moment was astounding!

But Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26

A couple weeks later my three siblings, who all live in other states, traveled home for our Dad’s memorial service. I stood at the podium and silently prayed again for strength, and the Holy Spirit again filled me with peace and gave me the ability to deliver Dad’s eulogy.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. – Isaiah 40:29

This being not long after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when my Mom, youngest sister and I accompanied my middle sister to the airport, we went very early expecting lengthy security checks. We breezed right through with plenty of time to get lunch. Of course, we all settled on McDonald’s, and my sisters and I got Happy Meals. The toy that week was a Disney princess. My sister has two daughters, so I gave her my princess. Then, as the conversation was once again about how our Dad was at peace and no longer in pain, I again said that he was finally back with his mother. And at that very instant, my sister found a second toy at the bottom of her box! Yup… Mrs. Potts and Chip!!!

I kept and cherish my message from God. That little plastic mother and son sit next to a photo of my beloved Dad as a toddler, when he was his mother’s pride and joy. They remind me of our Lord’s promise that one day we will be resurrected and whole and happy!!

Because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. – 2 Corinthians 4:14

As I grieve the loss of my very dear friend, I write this for her husband and mother and three sisters and everyone that loved her. I pray that God comforts their hearts with the knowledge that Tammy is now whole and happy with our Savior Jesus Christ. And I believe she is finally back with her beloved father. As I told Tammy’s sisters, I can imagine her now happily laughing and dancing an Irish jig with their Dad!