"But, Sarah, you are not alone."

Tonight I got a taste of what it will be like to be without my husband with me for a while.
He is in Columbus for the preliminary testing. He signed the consents... last night he wasn't sure, but decided finally to go through with it. He went for a few tests today, and has more tomorrow (actually "today" was yesterday, and "tomorrow" is now today, since it is after one in the morning). He has a bone marrow biopsy or aspiration tomorrow... those things are yuck. Watched him at least two or three times get those! You don't get put to sleep while they grind this thing through your skin and into your bone and the sound it makes is just... well, you just don't want to know! He does amazingly well during these things... maybe the numbing medicine is powerful or he's just a tough cookie. He will be home tomorrow, and we should know soon when he will be admitted.
I felt like an emotional basketcase at church. I really put extra effort into trying to be "prepared" for church... I mean, I had a sippy cup of water, snack crackers, raisins, paper and pencils, a book, a few toys, diapers, wipes, anti-bacterial lotion, powder, about anything you might need to make church go as smoothly as possible with three very tiny children and being without my husband's assistance. I even had them use the bathroom before church like a good mommy would. Changed the baby's diaper before church. Dressed them up cute, fixed their hair beautifully, and gave them a bite to eat before we went to church. We prayed before we left our trailor park for God's help in church. They napped in the van on the way to church. But, would you know with all the work I put into helping me survive the service, I still had a struggle with them! It just isn't the same without Ron. Yes, I heard Hope trying to sing, and Faith testified, but they weren't well rested, and I didn't have Ron. Some friends eventually came to my rescue, and that was nice.
As we prayed during the prayer meeting, I cried quietly to God because of the "alone-ness," and it was ever so sweet to "hear" Him gently say to me that I wasn't and wouldn't be alone... I felt Him direct my attention to my church family. I had been complaining lately about them a little... sometimes the devil tries to tell me that they really don't care, that they are too busy for sharing my hurt, but the devil is defeated tonight... he is a liar! After I felt God reminding me of my church family, I cried quietly and shook with the emotion of it all. Right then, someone came to where I was kneeling, wrapped their arm around me and prayed gently with me, then, someone came and sat with me and my children for the remainder of the service. They have no idea what they did for me tonight. Jesus was there... wrapped in the skins of my friends.