My friend, Loretta, was dying of stomach cancer. She had undergone a debilitating round of chemo that hadn\u2019t worked. But she was so brave, even in the face of death. That didn\u2019t surprise me. She was the friend who\u2019d comforted me two years earlier, after my 21-year-old daughter, Nancy, was killed by a drunk driver.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d never gotten over the pain of being unable to say goodbye to my daughter. As I thought of Loretta going to heaven, I wondered if she could give Nancy a message. But what would I say? <\/em>Nancy knew we loved her. To say how much we missed her would make her sad. Maybe when Loretta\u2019s in heaven, she can just give Nancy a hug for me.<\/em><\/p>\n It was a crazy notion. How would I even know if Loretta could fulfill my request? It seemed inappropriate to even ask. I waited and waited, hemmed and hawed, unsure of how to even bring it up. Finally, I phoned Loretta and asked, \u201cCan I come over?\u201d<\/p>\n I could tell from Loretta\u2019s voice that she was glad I\u2019d offered. \u201cYes, please do,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m having a good day today.\u201d<\/p>\n I saw Loretta through the storm door when I arrived, and was shocked by how thin and feeble she was. \u201cCome on in,\u201d she said. As I made my way to the living room, I began to have second thoughts. It would be in poor taste to ask for such a favor, <\/em>I decided.<\/p>\n Before I could say a word, Loretta turned to me. \u201cI have something to tell you,\u201d she blurted, as if unable to keep a secret. \u201cI don’t want to upset you, but I\u2019m going to see Nancy.\u201d<\/p>\n I took her hand gently and smiled. \u201dGive her a hug for me?\u201d<\/p>\n “I will,” Loretta promised.<\/p>\n One night a few weeks later, I had the oddest dream. A young woman, dressed in blue, was walking in the countryside. She turned to face me. Nancy! That\u2019s when I woke up. But in the darkness of the bedroom, I felt something grip my body\u2013gently, but firm. A bear hug that warmed me from head to toe.<\/p>\n In the morning I got a call that Loretta had passed away in her sleep. Only then did I understand what had happened in my bed that night.<\/p>\n Loretta did what she promised, that didn’t surprise me. Feeling Nancy hug me back? That did. The Lord knew how much I needed it. A feeling to give me comfort until I’m able to embrace Loretta and Nancy again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My friend, Loretta, was dying of stomach cancer. She had undergone a debilitating round of chemo that hadn\u2019t worked. But she was so brave, even in the face of death. That didn\u2019t surprise me. She was the friend who\u2019d comforted me two years earlier, after my 21-year-old daughter, Nancy, was killed by a drunk driver. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":26460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2073],"class_list":["post-15524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gods-grace"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n