Tragedy, Hearthbreak, Death Could Happen to Anyone, Anytime But God Is Already Waiting In The Future
Posted: Saturday, February 12, 2011
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
I find myself thinking of a young woman, Lorraine Yazlowitz, who is a kindergarten teacher and mother of three. She and her husband, Jeff Yazlowitz were married for 13 years.
January 24th began as a normal day. She got the children ready for school. Her husband Jeff was a police officer. As Jeff left for work, he flashed the lights and sirens of the squad care for his 5-year-old son.
"He just sat there and kept the lights on and then finally he took off," she said.
That was the last time Lorraine Yaslowitz saw her husband, Jeff. He and another officer, Sergeant Tom Baitinger were gunned down by a suspect hiding in the attic of a house. The suspect had vowed he would never again go back to prison. (He later died. I am not sure if it was a gunshot wound or if he killed himself).
I watched the funeral on television. The canine that had been Yazlowitz’s companion and partner (on the police force) was the only canine, out of many, who was howling and pacing at the funeral. The dog apparently knew his partner was gone. The sounds of the dog lent an eerie feeling to the service, as not one of the policemen could calm him down.
'I can still feel him. I knew that sounds silly, but I can still feel him, " said Lorraine, as she wiped away tears.
Lorraine was taken to her husband's side at the hospital after he died. He was peaceful," she said. "I just leaned down next to him and took his hand. He was still warm, but I knew this would be it."
What I wanted to convey about this story is the reaction and faith of Lorraine Yazlowitz. Her faith in God is remarkable. She is so young and yet seems to have the faith of a great spiritual leader.
She says people ask her how she can be so strong. Her answer, through tears is "faith in God."
People say, 'how can she have such peace? "That's weird, but that's what true faith is," she said.
Her faith is so strong that she refuses to question why or even feel anger toward the shooter.
"Even if he were still alive, it's not for me to question. I really have no bad feeling toward him. I really don't," she said.
Sometimes my mind wanders into dark territories and I think what would I do if this happens or if that happens. It is pretty much a given that each of us will experience some rough times and heartache in our lives. The question is, “what will we do?” Will we be like this young mother and not even question God?
Other questions come to mind. How would I cope? What would I do? Would I be strong like Lorraine? Would my faith carry me through?
Then, I remember a quotation somewhere along the way about the future: God is already there. Here are a couple of Bible verses to back this up:
”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Source: The Lakeland Ledger
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Good article Fran, I like those bible verses
A very touching story Fran... thank you for sharing it with us. No one ever really knows how they will handle adversity until it strikes. One can only pray for the strength in their faith to cope the way this young lady did.
She has gone through a terrible ordeal. I feel this woman has a strength which won't let her real feelings out, some type of mental gift. It's not normal not to feel or express pain, it's something that helps a person, but to much and it's not a help, but rather a burden. Whether or not it's her belief in God, is not particularly important. What is importan is her ability to handle that pain, so that it doesn't affect her children. For that, she should be congratulated.
She is a remarkable woman. It's hard to say how one would react to something like this. I guess we never really know until we find ourselves facing a tragedy in our own life. Sometimes we're a lot stronger than we realize, sometimes we're not. Nice article Fran.
Good article - we never know the amount of time we have, do we? This is a "grabber" and I am glad to read it - really appreciate your writing this one.
Lorraine is so brave. May she continue to find her strength and faith as she lives each day without her beloved husband. Something must be done to compensate for the loss of Jeff. This is truly a sad happening especially for the 3 kids as well.
A good an touching article Fran. It takes a lot of strength toshoulder a burden as your friend did.
Such a horrible thing to have to walk through. I also hope I'd have the faith and strength to handle it, but I sure don't ever want to find out. Your Scripture selections were great, Fran. I like how the Jeremiah passage continues: then we will call on him and pray and he will listen. Thanks for the reminders. Good article, Fran.
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