Another holiday dinner at my Aunt My’s home. There the little girl in green sits, beaming for all the angels (and the camera); my red-haired cousin Sandy. Our family didn’t take a lot of photos, especially of extended family. I treasure this snapshot of joy. Everyone else seems to be caught up in the meal, but Sandy is turned to the camera, grinning from ear to ear. Sandy gave and invited love her entire life. I don’t know of anyone who didn’t love Sandy, except for her future husband.
DIFFICULT YEARS
Young little Sandy has no clue regarding the heartache she will experience through the years. All she wants is to someday become a wife and mother. Instead, God chose to give her years of infertility. Finally, after a difficult pregnancy, He blessed her with one child, a daughter. Sandy treasured Kelsey, her precious baby, red-haired just like her mom. Sandy glowed with joy.
Too bad Sandy trusted her husband to share the same love for their home. Their marriage deteriorated at an alarming rate. Sandy kept saying everything was fine. We knew it wasn’t. After years of abuse, Sandy’s parents finally convinced her that living with him would never improve. He possessed no desire to change.
COURAGEOUS AND FIERCE
My red-haired cousin with the huge grin became a single parent. She longed to stay home and concentrate on raising her daughter. Instead, she became part of the workforce, a role she never sought. Sandy grew courageous and fierce in taking care of Kelsey, providing a stable home, and relying on God each step of the way. Her smile stayed firmly planted on her face.
THEN CAME THE CANCER
Then came the cancer. Her doctor missed the warning signs. By the time she was diagnosed, the disease was Stage 4. Next came the surgeries, the chemo, the radiation, and the loss of her beautiful red hair. And all through this, Sandy still loved.
SANDY STILL LOVED
She not only loved family and friends, but she fiercely loved the temporary workers employed at her company. Most of them were from Central America and Sandy was their advocate in helping understand their adopted country, its culture and its laws. She is the one who drove to the jail in the middle of the night to help an employee who needed a friend to help navigate the system. Sandy was fierce despite everything she was personally going through. Sandy still loved.
People might ask what Sandy accomplished in her short life. She never went to college, never aspired to have a grand successful career, and didn’t want riches and fame. Instead, Sandy created a godly legacy that made a mark on all who knew her. We knew that she loved Jesus, no matter what evil planned for her.
SANDY’S LEGACY
My darling, beloved cousin, in my heart is a special place for your beautiful ear to ear grin. While the rest of the family in the picture is focused on their meal, were you somehow focused on the joy you would bring to so many? Your legacy taught me how to grin from ear to ear when the storms of life blow their hardest. Thank you, Cousin Sandy, for showing me Jesus.
This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness. (Titus 2:12-14)
