Saturday, March 10, 2007

Not a Friend's Friend


I find it hard to believe what I have just read. I've been busy. Emails have been piling up in my inbox. I just opened an email fwd. from a name I didn't recognize with the subject line, "A family from Grace Community Church Needs Major Help." At first glance, it looked like another sad prayer/money request for someone I didn't know - a friend's friend. Then I start reading the details: 7 kids in the family, another one on the way...husband/father just suffered a major aneurism that took his life... He was only 37... His name was Bill. At this point, I started to connect the dots, while thinking/hoping I was wrong. No. It couldn't be Bill Hermonat...could it? No. I scrolled down through my inbox and opened a couple of other telling emails. My fear was confirmed: Bill Hermonat, who used to attend my church, whose kids I babysat, died of an unexpected brain aneurism on Thursday. Period. End of sentence. Bill died. BILL HERMONAT died.

Oh, Jesus. My heart is heavy for the Hermonat family. Bill had no life insurance and the family has no health insurance, so in the wake of this horrific, unexpected tragedy, Kim (wife/mom) is also faced with overwhelming financial burdens. The kids must be devestated... Kim must be in shock... God, be near.

Some thoughts:

I need to call my family and let them know I love them.

"Each man's life is but a breath" -Psalm 39:5b

“…I used to believe that trusting God’s goodness meant I would not be hurt. But having been hurt quite a bit, I know God’s goodness goes deeper than all pleasure and pain – it embraces them both.” - Gerald May, Simply Sane

Folks reading this post who are interested in providing financial support for the Hermonat family can find more information on how to do so here.

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