Faith

I found my faith right before I was diagnosed with breast cancer thanks to my daughter. She wanted so badly to feel part of something bigger than herself and wanted to feel like she belonged somewhere. I wasn't prepared to try something other than the Catholic church so I allowed her to attend with our neighbors.
When I saw how happy she was when she came home, I thought to myself I'd give this a try. Becky reached out to me and asked the following Sunday, "We'd love for you to come with us." I accepted and found myself in a very different kind of worship than what I was use to.
In his microphone, the pastor had everyone in the palm of his hand, "Who are you?" he asked. "Who are you besides a mother, a father. Who are you without your children? Maybe you've separated from your husband, or maybe you're suffering from an illness. Who are you without all of that?"
I felt like he was talking to me. A tear slowly fell down my cheek as I listened to him. He's talking directly to me, I thought to myself.
Live music filled the church. You'd think Pastor Paul appeared to look like Jesus in his happy way. He had the beard, the hair, the sandals etc. You couldn't but raise your hands up and praise God when he sang. "My God Saves, My God Saves." Others stood up and praised God raising their hands. How could you not be inspired by this? Pastor Mccowan's sermon was empowering to say the least.
I continued to go throughout the rest of the summer and continued to put myself out there more than I ever had before. I enjoyed life again. I found myself joining the choir which I absolutely loved. I finally felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to be a better person, a more positive person.
Becky knew about my marital issues and insisted she could help me get through this difficult time in my life.
"Becky, I want to go to counseling, but I simply can't afford it." I said. I knew I needed help rebuilding my life. I knew in order for my marriage to work I needed to "fix" myself. I needed to learn what it was to be a wife and a mother. After all, I never really had any good examples growing up. We are what we learn unless we know how to move past it. I didn't know how to be anyone else but who I was.
"There is a couple I want you to meet. They are wonderful, and I'm sure they will be able to help you," she said.
The following Sunday she introduced me to Jen and Norm. They recently decided to sell their family's winery to go into ministry.
Jen, stood about 5'3" with short, blond hair. "It's so nice to meet you," she said, this is my husband Norm," He stood about 6'2", glasses, and balding.
I was really excited I was finally going to get my life on track. I wasn't sure about pastoral counseling, but what did I have to lose at this point?