With age comes wisdom, and at 93, my friend Milton has an abundance of it. Mary, Tom and I are spending 5 days in California with 4 first cousins who hail from Pasadena, Santa Barbara, and Hesperia. In our travels between these dear ones, we had the privilege of spending this afternoon with Milton in Riverside, an hour’s drive inland from Los Angeles. Although he isn’t technically a relative, the two of us are related in the Lord.
Milton and I first became friends after I found myself enamored with his son at 19, well before Nate. Although that dating relationship went by the wayside, in the process I’d made a lifelong buddy of his father, and Milton and I have kept tabs on each other for 47 years.
Today is the second anniversary of Nate’s departure to heaven, and as the hours passed, the significance of November 3rd was continually on my mind. Milton understood. He’s endured the heartache of losing not one but two spouses, Margie to cancer and Eva to Alzheimer’s. Yet his servant-heart sought no credit for nursing both of them through years of difficult disease.
I asked Milton about the time between his marriages. “What made you decide to marry a second time?”
His words revealed his character. “Well,” he said, smiling broadly, “I look back on that decision and see that God was really the one who made it. He knew Eva would need a husband to help her through Alzheimer’s, and he figured I could do that.” Although it got severe toward the end when she no longer knew Milton or even accepted him as her husband, he was in it for the duration.
Today Milton said something sweet. “You know, God knew you needed to marry Nate, too.” And he was right. God knows what we need ahead of time and strategizes accordingly, laying the groundwork for the decisions we will one day make. Then, when the time comes, he’s ready for every situation and better yet, has made us ready as well.
God knew Milton’s wives would need a strong man to carry them through end-stage traumas, so he brought each couple together at the right time to make that work. And he knew I would need Nate’s stabilizing influence, so he put us into each other’s lives at the right moment to make that work, too.
Today as I thought about Nate’s death, I appreciated my friend Milton’s 93 years of wisdom in pointing out my need for him and how God brought us together. I also was reminded of God’s infinity-years of wisdom and the fact that he offers it freely to all of us as we make important decisions. Just as he guided Milton and me, he’s eager to plan for anyone else who wants to take advantage of the divine strategizing he offers.
”The Lord works out everything to its proper end.” (Proverbs 16:4a)
What a joy to see the way the Lord is blessing and using you.To still have a friend like Milton to spend time with.Thank the Lord he does plan ahead for us and He knows the way we will take and when he has tried us,we shall come out as gold.Job 23:10. Thank you Margaret for sharing your life and Lord with us. Praying for you today. Have a Blessed time in California.
Thanks for sharing this Margaret. It’so true that he knows what we need and he sees the big picture of our lives when we see only puzzle pieces. I’m so glad you are getting to spend time out in sunny CA with your cousins and your special friend Milton! I thought of you and prayed for you often yesterday as I know it wasn’t an easy one for you and your children. I miss the sunshine you spread wherever go!
Love, Cheryl
Our God is amazing!
It was such a privilege to be able to give my husband care and comfort during his fast-growing cancer. When he died in July of 2010, I expected to be single for the rest of my life and was at peace with this. Two days after his death, while watching a lovely sunrise God told me, “This is a new chapter in your life, and it’s going to be good.” Life with my first husband was good, and I couldn’t imagine how life without him could be good, but I choose to trust His promise in the Bible, in Jeremiah 29:11, that His plans for me were good. Frequently I thanked Him for His many blessings and trusted Him for the future. Now I am engaged to be married in December, to a wonderful Christian man from the church we both grew up in, 1400 miles away. We are both astonished that, at age 66, we are head-over-heels in love, with both delight and deep passion! Truly, God knew what I needed better than I did. In many ways, He has kept His Biblical commitment to take care of me as a widow. In my case that included providing me with a fantastic new husband! We can trust Him to know what is best for us and to be able to arrange that in the best timing. God is so good and He loves to give good gifts!
Lots of memories – both full of joy and full of sorrow – but always filled with God’s grace.
Thinking of you today. Praying for you and loving you!!
Thank you Margaret! Today I was asking Why so short of a time Lord and you confirmed it was to take care of Michael through cancer as he had taken care of his late wife as well. What an honor. Thank you Lord
Yes…our loving heavenly father is truly ‘EL SHADDAI’…all complete…His love is beyond our comprehension, but He certainly encompasses us with it at the right time…even when we don’t realize ‘what’ we need.
To KAY: God’s blessing you….embrace each moment of every day…in HIM.
what a beautiful blog, Midge.