hurting friend

I’m writing in desperation right now, so things may come out jumbled and incoherent, but I feel like putting down my raw emotions, so here it goes.

God put a woman I’ll refer to as V in my life about 1 ½ years ago. She works at a store we frequent. First there was just casual, topical exchange, but as time went on, and as she grew to dote more and more on my girls, our conversations lengthened. I knew she was a loving person by how many customers stopped to chat with her and give her a hug. V has suffered from a chronic, life-long battle with tremors.

One day many months ago, she opened up a bit more than usual and told me of her relationship (or lack thereof) with her grown children. They won’t speak to her or take her calls. I wondered about that, but didn’t pry. She said the only other family she has in the area is her sister who lives close by her, but is in terrible health.

One day I saw her in the parking lot having car troubles and offered her my help. She said she had just had her car in the shop and felt like she’d been ripped off by them. I gave her my numbers and told her to call me if she needed anything.

Another day, in the store, she told me that she had tried to kill herself the week prior. She took a bottle of pills and drank liquor and really did not want to go on. She lives by herself, has minimal contact with anyone, has a dead-end, low-paying job, no insurance, etc. and just couldn’t take it anymore. I asked her to promise me that she would call me before she ever tried anything like that again. She agreed. She needed some financial help right then, so I paid a couple of her bills and a friend agreed to pay another one. I then loaned her a little bit of money to help her buy groceries.

Several months have passed since I have seen her and then last week, there she was again. I have wondered about her every time I frequent this store, but never ran into her. Last week she looked and sounded awful. I knew there were major troubles again… health, money, car, etc. I again gave her my numbers.

She called me tonight in dire straits. She had fallen due to her tremors, was taken to the Dr. and prescribed more meds which she can’t afford to go p/u…… she has NO food in her house and then proceeded to tell me she doesn’t have a stove OR a working television.

I write all of this to ask the few of you that I know read this to pray for her (and for me.) Pray that God would intercede where needed in her life. She just recently rededicated her life to Christ. Pray for me that I’m able to help without judgment and/or question, that I’m open to whatever God will have me to do in this situation, and that my kids will be touched and moved to be selfless by witnessing all of this.

I’m going to pick her up tomorrow morn to get her scripts filled and to get her groceries…. will update after that.