Times and Seasons of Life

EVELYN CLAUDIO-SALVADOR

August 5, 2023, was an eventful day for me. It was our 50th Wedding Anniversary. It is a blessing to have reached this far, with family intact, including eight grandchildren. An Invitation for reflection...how could we have made it, surrounded by many friends and acquaintances, even relatives, who have sad stories of broken, tragic marriages, heartbreaks, premature spouse demise, wayward children, significant financial setbacks, and so on? Reflection on life’s realities: positive or negative life situations happen within or outside our human control. No one is ever too perfect or “perfectly put together,” especially in the area of relationships.

There were desirable and undesirable human situations in my past 50 years of marriage. Life in the USA, a return to the Philippines, an expat assignment in Thailand, my almost terminal cancer experience, and the accidental death of a young grandson. Life Lesson here – HIS HAND. Faithfulness was always there. In this imperfect world that we live in, we, the true believers and followers of the Lord, should be the most restful and peaceful people in good times or bad. His sovereignty means that he is ever present in any human situation. We celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary with only the family but happily and memorably.

Three months after the 50th Anniversary, my husband, Ding, had a bad fall, underwent two brain surgeries, and came out of it still unconscious. He remained in the ICU, hooked up to a ventilator, with so many other intravenous tubes on him. Of course, human sadness, shock, and anxiety overtook me. I requested the ICU to hook up for Ding – continued spiritual/praise songs and scripture verses. I believe that for any deteriorating patient, the hearing is the last to go.

We visited the ICU daily, waiting for some progress but getting more frustrated by the day. Ding had been in the ICU for more than a month. Nothing changed. The doctors, particularly the neurosurgeon, said that the only improvement they would anticipate is IF Ding responded to verbal instructions. The Christmas Season was upon us, dampening our mood even more, for we could not even make preparations. But we were surrounded by many Prayer Warriors. I decided to pray for him in a simple, childlike manner:  “Lord, can I ask, as a Christmas gift, that Ding wakes up from his coma?”

Several days before Christmas, the Caregiver who patiently visited him daily decided to talk to him constantly, asking Ding, “If you can hear me, please press my hand.” Ding suddenly would press his hand. Then he was asked, slowly, if he could hear, raise his eyebrow, blink his eyes, and even smile. Ding managed to respond to all! The doctors were amazed; he was out of the ICU and in the Telepathy room on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Eve, we brought him home. Life Lesson here: The Lord heard my simple, childlike prayer. No wonder he was quoted in the Bible as saying, “Let the little children come to Me…do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Ding’s recovery from a coma allowed us to see a miracle – a Powerful God, a Miracle Worker in the past, and described in the Book of Hebrews as “the Same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever.” This is the same God of power described by A.W. Tozer in his book, The Attributes of God. “Why doesn’t the sky fall down? Why is it that the stars and the planets do not go tearing apart and ripping off into chaos? Because there is a Presence of that One Who upholds All things by the Word of his Power.”

Ding was happily visited by the children, grandchildren, close friends, and relatives for the next two months. Many prayers were said with him. He still had a trach on his throat, so he communicated with us by writing. He had already started physical therapy in the garden and had visits by a speech therapist to improve his verbal prowess. Suffice it to say that we, the family, were overjoyed seeing him back home with us.

However, after two months at home, Ding suddenly passed peacefully and quietly very early in the morning. He looked as though he had just fallen asleep. Could I complain to God for taking him? Certainly not. With God’s faithfulness and love, He gave us, the family, a heavenly touch of waking up a husband from a coma, allowing him to enjoy the comforts of home with the care and love from family for two months, and then taking him, ever so peacefully  Truly, our Creator holds the number of our days.

My favorite verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes became a secular hit song decades ago: “To Everything, there is a Season, a Time for every Purpose under Heaven. A Time to be Born and a Time to Die..…. A Time to Kill, a Time to Heal. A Time to Break Down and a Time to Build Up….a Time to Weep and a Time to Laugh….A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance…A Time to Love, A Time to Hate…”

While on earth —LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX. Socialize, enjoy sharing meals, and enjoy the company of family and friends. Celebrate life, always with gratefulness. I await this journey’s glorious culmination in my own blissful union with the Creator.