I 100% know that God puts people in our paths for a reason. We don't need to understand why, but we do need to pay attention. Several years ago, around May of 2021, my stepdaughter and her husband were having marital issues. They were living in Kansas, stationed at Fort Riley. With the distance between us, it was hard to get a handle on what was going on between them, and my husband was concerned. We decided it was time to take a road trip to Kansas. My intuition was at full force; I just knew that something was very wrong. I sat down, opened Facebook, and typed in my stepdaughter's name.
The first thing that came up after her profile was a picture. It was a picture of her in a hotel room with a man AND her 3 kids. The man was not her husband. She was tagged in the picture. I searched for the man's name. What came up? A post from a young woman asking if anyone knew his whereabouts because there was an active arrest warrant for him!! I reached out to the young lady on Facebook Messenger, and a years-long friendship was born.
She and I teamed up, and we had him picked up and removed from my stepdaughter's and grandkids' lives. That is a story for another time, but suffice it to say, score one for the good guys. He may have been out of our lives, but he remained a constant source of grief and strife in hers. I can honestly say she was not dealt a good hand in life. Her mom passed away when she was a teenager, and her dad pushed her towards the abusive man she would eventually marry and have 4 kids with. She has become like my 5th daughter. I would send the kids care packages at the holidays like a grandmother would. I remember once I saw a dress that I knew she would love, and I saw a purse to go with it, so I bought it for her. I sent it to her with a short handwritten note telling her I was proud of her and that I knew if her mother was here, she would be proud too.
Her husband texted me after she received the package. He thanked me and said that in all the time they had been together, he had never seen her react so emotionally. Everyone needs someone who believes in them. That encourages them. That lifts them when they are down. I think that's one of the things I miss most about being in a relationship: someone telling me they are proud of me. Silly huh? Over the years, even though she met a good man and got remarried, her ex-husband remained a thorn in her side. Some things happened, and she ended up losing custody of her children.
That is when the wheels really fell off. She started drinking heavily. She will be 34 years old in a few weeks. She is in active liver failure. Yesterday I cried like a baby for hours. I always think: There, by the grace of God, go I. I don't question God. His ways are not our ways. But I can ask for divine intervention and a chance. I know with God all things are possible.
If someone had told me that I would meet someone 5 years ago, that would touch my heart and become important to me. I would have said, "Oh, really? Come on. When people come into your life, sometimes it's for a blessing, sometimes for a lesson, and sometimes for both. I'll be praying for her. If you read this, I love you, kiddo! Stay strong. It's not over until it's over!