Tom asked if he could rent a space for his truck in my back garage. I answered that I would not charge him, so he asked if he and his wife. Linda, could take me out to lunch. I said, “That works for me.” We decided on last Monday the 9th for our lunch date. However, early in the morning, Tom called and asked if we could reschedule because Linda was very sick with the flu. I said, “Absoulutely, when Linda is feeling better.”
Around noon, I received a phone call from a mutual friend. Vicki said, “Rita, did you know Linda passed away very early this morning?” “What! I talked with Tom a few hours ago and he didn’t say a word about Linda dying!” I said, as shock waves tumbled over me. “He wasn’t aware of it when he called you. It is a shock to all of us. I noticed Linda had written on her calendar, ‘Lunch with Rita.’ She had the flu and within 24 hours, she passed away.”
Their daughter, Sarah Hawley, posted a beautiful tribute to her mom and wonderful testimony of the Lord on fb. I would like to share her sentiments in this week’s blog. May I introduce you to Sarah –
“On Monday, March 9, 2026, everything changed. My mom (Linda ‘Bidinger; Helget), my best friend, my number one fan, my teacher, my counselor, my cooking buddy, my instructor, my puzzle buddy, my heart, passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. To say I am devastated is an understatement. This is a kind of pain I have never known. This grief feels suffocating at times, and all I can do is focus on my breathing. This was not how it was supposed to be. I wasn’t done learning from her. I wasn’t done making memories with her. I don’t know if my kids have enough memories to remember her for the rest of their lives. And that kills me as she was an incredible grandma. That was one of my most favorite roles. How do I recover from this?
I am undone and so broken, and yet I am not without hope.
I will never forget this awful time as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for the salvation from the Lord. Lamentations 3:20-26. NLT.
My mom loved the Lord. He was her portion and hope. There is no doubt in my mind she is experiencing fullness of joy as she worships her King. Our God is a good and faithful God. His plans are always good and always right. I can cling to the fact that He does all things for His glory, and so the pain of this nightmare will not be wasted, but oh, how it still hurts! I don’t understand how any of this is good right now, but I will rest in his sovereignty. Because the of the Lord’s great love, I will not be consumed.”
I would like to add my thought: Life is interrupted by death and death is interrupted by life, and this life cannot be broken by eternity.
God is sovereign over life, over death, and over eternal life. He blesses in life, He comforts in death, and He delights to give believers eternal life!