The Church A Dazzling Beauty - A Widow's Story - Guest post by Barbara Dalberg

A few months back I was jolted with the shock of losing my precious husband and friend of forty-three years. One minute he was here and the next minute he was gone. One minute I was a wife and the next a widow. At the blink of an eye the future to be shared with him, was now to be faced alone. There are no words to describe how disorientated I was in the days that followed.

I was in a daze. I was walking and talking but was only just hoping to awaken from what must surely be a nightmare. It was just yesterday we laughed and today I was discussing with a funeral director what to do with the remains of the one who was here and now was not, my beloved.

There were decisions to be made and made quickly, one of them being that people were coming from a distance and would need to be fed. This is when Family Harvest Church, my daughter’s church, a church over one hundred miles away from my home sent a representative with an abundance of delicious food for us. They also sent beautiful plant arrangements and cards and even a pastoral representative to attend the Memorial Service itself. They were there to support our daughter at the loss of her Dad...and to be a blessing to me. The Body of Christ in action was not a cheap hag.......but a dazzling beauty to behold.

The Salvation Army, was also very supportive and provided a lovely luncheon for our entire family. They supplied practical needs to me during this time as well as their loving presence. My husband had been a member of the local board and they sent pots of ornamental grasses and potted plants to be planted in his memory. Members of Family Harvest Church actually planted these grasses for me in our home garden.

My husband left me with a new house which he had designed but it was not quite finished when he passed away. He had purchased an outdoor shed to be assembled and it was laying outside on the bare ground at the time of his death. There were holes in the kitchen ceiling that needed to be closed up and plastered. I could hardly bear to look at all the unfinished work that needed to be done without crying and feeling so alone and helpless. That is when my own church family stepped in, Fulton Church. They assembled the shed for me, plastered the holes in the kitchen, sent a plumber to repair a faucet, cut down some dead trees in the yard and did it all in an organized and timely manner and with much joy.

I want to say that I also received small amounts of cash from many who sent cards and how much that was appreciated. My heart was broken, my life changed forever, and I could not bring myself to think about finances. That extra cash helped me get through the first couple of weeks without having to balance a checkbook. God is so good.

The Lord hugged me, encouraged me, supported me, comforted me, and met my needs through His Body on earth....the Church. His faithfulness is worthy of our awe.