Still We Are Family

Covid has kept us from gathering, from seeing those we miss and love, still, we are the Otter Creek family.  Covid has not kept us from being in touch, from sending notes and emails, from praying, because we are the Otter Creek family.   

All over, there are people grieving.  We anticipated the outcome.  The actuality hit us as hard as we expected.  We have prayed and prayed and prayed.  They were not selfish prayers.  They were prayers for four daughters, a husband, parents.  Our prayers were not answered in the way we wanted.  In fact, our prayers feel unheard.  We choose to have faith that God was listening and Jesus was intervening, even as we have myriad emotions from sadness to anger to gratitude for having known her.  Our Otter Creek family has lost the physical presence of this very bright light, but her influence will continue to shine on us as family. We grieve as a family grieves.

After a long battle, our sister Katherine left this earthly realm to gather with the saints who are living in the presence of Jesus.  She fought courageously.  She fought with a faith that was awe inspiring.  She lived in gratitude for every moment.  She loved her family well, her girls, her husband, her parents, her Otter Creek family.  She knew where she was going.

As the Otter Creek family, we have people to care for; her precious daughters, her dear husband, her parents will need us in the days to come.  We will be there.  It is what family does.  We will try to be Jesus to this sweet family as they go through the hard work of figuring out what life looks like from this point forward, and they will move forward for they would not honor Katherine if they did not.  It will be a difficult struggle, but with God's help, they will make it through.