Everybody needs a helping hand sometimes. And you don't always know when or how that is going to happen. But the Lord does work in mysterious ways. And sometimes that helping hand isn't always what you expect it to be. Nor is it the form which you would think. Sometimes it's the perfect stranger that brings you back to who you are and where you are supposed to be in life. They give you a sense of peace and reassurance. I've lived a life well worth while and one that isn't filled with great works of daring acts or horrifying events of terror.
When I was a child I went through a lot of hard times. I didn't have a dad. Well I didn't have my real dad, but at that time I was too young to know the difference. My mother worked very hard to provide for my sisters and I. Sometimes she had to work multiple jobs because she had dead beat husbands. She almost died having my sisters, and all of us are lucky to be here. We are all premature and my mother had a few fumbles in between us.
At a very young age I was molested. I had to go to court a few times over that one. And then my step father's friend tried to do basically the same thing to me and my step sister. I was going to let it go with him messing with me, however when my step sister came to me to tell me what he was doing to her I said that was enough. She had already been through the same thing and I didn't want it to happen again.
I had a best friend and we were thick as thieves if you will. We were always with each other and we had a lot of fun. We thought that we were all that when we were a lot younger. Nobody ever could come between us. I think sometimes that there was some jealousy between her and my step sister. They were both kind of fighting for my attention. I remember one night on Halloween that my step sister, Brittany, had been saying some things about my best friend Shannon, and I had had enough. I startled over Brittany on my bed and told her to tell Shannon what she had said. All she kept doing was rolling her eyes at me and saying whatever. I told her to stop and that she wasn't a prep. Back then that is what she thought that she was. I finally had it and I saw red. I went to punch her in the face, however, Shannon grabbed my hand so all I could do was smack her. Brit said that she was going to go and tell dad. I told her to go ahead that I didn't care. She never did tell though.
Shannon had a brother named Jason. He was just like my brother. We were in the same class in fifth grade. He was ill though. He had a brain tumor that was slowly killing him. It started when he was seven and the doctors said he wouldn't live longer than two years. He was the greatest person in the world to me. He showed this world love. That is what he was sent here to do. Jason tried to make everyone happy and he was always smiling.
The boys in the neighborhood used to make fun of Jason because he was overweight and had what was called moon face from the tumors. His face was very round. Even with the boys of the hood teasing him, he was still very friendly and kind. Jason was very special. One night at my job I got a phone call from Shannon. She had the night off. She said that Jason just died. Her cousin Vicki took me over there and Shannon and I went up to her room to talk. I tried very hard to be the strong shoulder that she needed that night. And all night long it seemed like the song "What do you say?" played over and over. Shannon told me that she was in the kitchen and that Shirley, her mom, sat down beside Jason's bed and told him that Shannon and her were going to be fine that they could take care of themselves now and that he needed to just let go and go home. After she said that Jason took his last breath. He lived almost eleven years instead of two like the doctors said. I still miss him dearly and when I hear that song I still cry.
The funeral was very nice, and very sad. I went to the church down at my aunt Debbie's a little while after Jason's death and met someone special there. Her name was Elaine, and she is the one that lead me to Jesus. It was the end of church and the minister was having an alter call. Elaine asked me to go to the alter. She could see the pain inside of me that I needed to be lifted. I was reluctant at first, but she was very persistent. She told me that she would go with me and I finally said yes. So we walked to the alter and she prayed over me as I prayed to myself. Her and Debbie both prayed for me. I gave my heart to God that day, and I have never been the same. That is a day that I will never forget. I only saw Elaine a few times after that, and then she died of cancer. I will always miss her, but I know that she has went on to a much better place.
stephanie