Thank you, From the Coghlins

To Our Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we started the whole ordeal of biopsies and diagnoses 10 months ago, the unknowns piled up. Is it cancer? Will Trina live? To see her kids graduate? Her grandkids? The summer? How does a family even function without the rock who is wife and mother? And as I write down these “could-have-beens” that I’ve pondered a thousand times, my cheeks get a little moist.

But now my tears are not of sadness and helplessness while facing an unknown future. They are tears and sniffles of gratitude reflecting on the hundreds of kindnesses we have received from you, our church family. Countless car rides and meals and house cleanings and notes of encouragement and hugs and flowers and prayers … oh, how your prayers have sustained us! You are not “like family” to us, you are our family. And I weep because the goodness and caring of our Father lives in you and has been poured out on us.

And so, once again, we ask that you would join us in praising our Heavenly Father, whose ways are higher than our ways:

LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.

Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.

You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
LORD my God, I will praise you forever.    (Psalm 30)

The Coghlins