Featuring Jane Anderson
Volumes of quotes have been written, spoken, and posted about NO REGRETS. Well, I have plenty!
The frantic voice of my daughter’s roommate rocked me to my core. It seemed nearly impossible to decipher her hysteria. Finally, I understood the words.
“Tammie died. Jane, I found … I just found her … in her bed. When she didn’t answer her phone … I just found her. She’s dead. I don’t know what to do now.”
In that instant, every bit of air was sucked from my lungs.
How could this be true? Tammie would be coming home for Thanksgiving in four weeks. We would visit family and enjoy a big dinner together. High on the priority list was to take a current photo of us all together, at home.
Now, in a heartbeat, my plans melted away under the weight of a new reality. My first-born daughter, age thirty-eight, was never going to come home. I would never even hear her voice again. My plans would be forever changed.
The call had come during a Tuesday night meeting of our ladies’ Bible study.
If you ever receive devastating news, the best place to be is with heart-sisters studying the word of God together. Somehow, I found the strength to tell them, “It’s my daughter’s roommate. My daughter died.”
These words couldn’t be coming from me! They sounded like the forced whisper of a stranger standing behind me. But in an instant, every woman in the room surrounded me. They descended like angels, covering my raw emotion and soothing every hurt. These beautiful women became the first of many to comfort our family through the weeks to come.
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Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from just one of many Sacred Stories of our time. Powerful voices from around the globe that speak to our shared human experience. May they inspire you and give you great hope. Order your personal copy of CHAOS TO CLARITY: SACRED STORIES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE today and discover hope for the future and a blueprint for your life ⤵︎
Grief is never easy to get over. Some will badger you with the notion that it is time to get over it and get back to life. Those were words that were said to my mother (of blessed memory) when she could not get over having to bury her oldest daughter only a few short years later having to bury her husband. It hurts when somebody close to you dies. When that person is a family member or relative the grief lasts longer as it is that much harder to come to grips with. This was a very touching article that hit me in the heart. Thank you for writing and sharing this article.