I will never leave you or forsake you. Dt. 31:6
See, I have carved you on the palm of my hands. Is. 49:16
“Then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, gathering you again from all the peoples among whom the Lord your God has scattered you.” Dt. 30:3
God stands by His promises but not in my wildest imaginings could I have dreamed that within two months, God would not only restore all I thought I had lost but would restore it in double measure. Not only is He a God of surprises He is a God that cannot be outdone in generosity.
When I said my goodbyes in late July 2015 leaving behind my home, my family, and everything I loved to look after an ailing, aging, mother-in-law whom I also loved, I never imagined that I would be back in the blink of an eye. At least in the blink of God’s eye, for a 1000 days are but one in His eternal now. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 2 Peter 3:8
When I left I carried with me a heart weighed down with sorrow, for I was leaving all that was dearest to me. I left alone and I felt alone. The memories of the warm goodbyes, the kind words of affection and regard made the parting so much harder. Feeling like an exile in a strange land I took a cab from the airport to the place that would now be home. My frail mother-in-law looked pleased and grateful to have me with her and I vowed never to let her know how much suffering the parting had cost me.
Every day of the two long months away from all those I held dear seemed almost too hard to bear. I longed for the dear familiar faces, for the routine that was mine for so long and in which I had reveled. I missed the Catechism ministry, I missed the children who kept me alive and young, I missed my fellow-catechists for they had become dear friends.
I prayed as I had always done in the past when faced with a crisis in my life and there have been many as I look back. Prayer was my comfort. I prayed all the time. I woke up early and went for the first Mass, I prayed the Holy Rosary as I walked to church. I prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 O’clock and I prayed the Holy Rosary again. In the evenings I went to the Adoration Chapel and spent half an hour before the Eucharistic Lord. I read God’s Word. God was my only Friend, my lifeline whom I clung to as desperately as one who is drowning.
Tomorrow it will be one year since the Lord called my mother-in-law home. In less than two months God ended my exile and restored all back to me.
I returned in October and asked our Parish Priest Fr. Blany, if there was a place for me in the Catechism Ministry, I was assigned to teach Class 6. I will be honest and confess I felt a twinge of regret that I was not placed in Class 4 where I had for five years, helped to prepare the children to receive the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. But this was where I was needed as the catechist assigned to this class would be leaving soon.
On the first day, I was pleasantly surprised to get a rousing welcome when I was introduced to this class as a few of my former children whom I taught in year 4 were here. I was home again and I could not have been happier.
On the first day, I was pleasantly surprised to get a rousing welcome when I was introduced to this class as a few of my former children whom I taught in year 4 were here. I was home again and I could not have been happier.
God is good all the time and all the time God is awesome!
Myra D’Souza / 19 September 2016
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