NO FUNERAL THIS WEEK!

By Angeline M Duran Santiago

I purposefully placed an exclamation mark at the end of my title. Our declaration sometimes has to not only be loud but powerful.

Before I posted this, I asked my husband, Frankie, "Do you mind if I share?" and he was like, "No." I think he was actually happy I wanted to share. You see, we could've been planning and attending his funeral this week. But instead, we can look back and laugh, even bother him because even though what Frankie has experienced is nothing to laugh at, we rejoice that he is here with us celebrating life.

Frankie's job sometimes requires him to spend the night on site in order to make sure the boilers in the building are running well and that staff and students wake up to enter a very warm school building. Unfortunately, this week, in one of his moments going to check on the boiler system, he had a fall. It wasn't until he saw the bubbling liquid falling down his head that he realized he was hurt was than he imagined. Instead of calling, 911, he walked to the hospital- holding his head. I am still in awe and thankful because he could have fainted and instead he made it, almost in shock, but he got there and was able to get the medical help and attention he needed.

Let's take it back a little....

Before Frankie left for work I had wished and asked him not to go. Our whole life together his job has kept him many nights away from home and it's hard. I don't ever want my family separated, but especially when the kids were little, it was hard being home alone during the cold weather or when he had to be away at work.

Prayer Time....

That night, after reading about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, I felt a deep urge to pray. I felt the need to pray for my family, for my family in New Jersey, and for my children. I decided to just begin to pray for my family in specific ways. I suddenly felt the need to pray for someone specific, but each time, Frankie would come into my mind and I'd change my prayer for him. I knew he was alone and I just wanted the Lord to remind him that God's love was with him, keeping him company.

As many times as I decided to go down my list to pray over other people, Frankie's face returned into my thoughts and I think I fell asleep praying for him, speaking God's protection over him. I fell asleep filled with peace that the Lord was protecting and keeping company my family.

It wasn't until later the next morning that Frankie shared with me what had occurred. The staples on his head made my heart fill with hurt. Through the sadness, I also felt an overwhelming rain of peace. Through the shock of what he said he experienced, my heart filled with thankfulness because the news could have been that the Cat-Scan showed damage. The news could have been a coma or waking up to visit my husband in ICU Intensive Care Unit in the hospital, or worse, having to go say, "Good bye". The news of family passing away unexpectedly, or facing a hardship alone and not being able to say your farewell is hard. So, I was thankful for a God that has heard my prayers and protected my husband. It could have been worse.


I could have spent this weekend planning a funeral yet God allowed us to keep going. I could have had to comfort my kids and family due to a horrible crisis, yet God's protection left only a few stapled stitches on his big head to remind us all, "God is still in control!"

Through it all, God is present!
When we live like He exists or not, He still takes care of us!
Our choice to pray today and not tomorrow doesn't cancel His promises to be with us, always!
If you wake up in the middle of the night with a longing to pray, then do it. Pray! Pray!
Don't ignore the tugging of the Lord to pray for the people in your life, your friends, your co-workers.

So, I am thankful!
Thank you Lord that you provided for Frankie what he needed during his emergency.
Thank you for the people that took care of him immediately and comforted him.
Thank you for protecting him and keeping him alive.

What are you thankful for today?
You see, in my home, there's no funeral this week. There will always be a day for death to visit, but it's in God's time and in God's way, not like this. God gets the glory, no matter what. I believe the Lord protected him. You may say, "He still got hurt." But, I say, "He's still alive!"
So, don't take out your black and white clothes yet, because in our household, there's no funeral this week.

God bless you.