“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
Absolutely nothing separates us from the love of God, not even death. I am sharing a story of a childhood memory I have of a sweet little neighbor girlfriend that I once played with. Mary Margaret O’Connor was an only child of Irish immigrants who lived a few doors away from me. We used to play together and even though she was five and I was ten, I noticed something very special and charismatic about her.
My mother used to take the city bus to and from work each day. After she got off the bus at the end of her day, she would walk down our street to come back home. As soon as Mary Margaret spotted my mother coming, she stopped playing and ran down the street and right into my mother’s arms. My mother would hug and kiss Mary Margaret as if she were a part of the family. I always used to wonder why Mary Margaret was so excited to see my mother.
Later I realized that my mother and Mary Margaret both had the same outgoing, charismatic and affectionate nature, which is why they connected to quickly. Those were very special moments that Mary Margaret and my mother had each day.
I was thinking of Mary Margaret recently, and wondered where she is today and if there was any way to contact her. I started searching for her on line and was led to an obituary article published by the Chicago Sun Times in June of 2016. It referred to her growing up in Chicago, and named her school which was in my neighborhood. It described her as a passionate lady who sang and danced, and tutored the special education students in her church, as well as starting a ministry for divorcees in her home church, St. James, in Arlington Heights.
The article also mentioned a dimple in her chin and then I knew without a doubt, that it was the same Mary Margaret from my childhood. I was amazed to learn that Mary Margaret was living close by me before passing away. She has two children, Billy and Caileen, so I searched Facebook to try and message her daughter.
I found Caileen on Facebook and shared my memories of her mom as my childhood friend, while wondering if I would receive an answer. Caileen answered me the next day, saying that my message warmed her heart and it was received on the day she was in the ER. Caileen called the timing of my message, a “Godwink,” meaning it might seem like coincidence but it was of divine origin.
She obviously felt that her mom was sending her a sign that day, by especially watching over her during her ER visit. It was the Holy Spirit who put Mary Margaret on my mind that particular day, and prompt me to search for her daughter on line. I regret not being able to reconnect with Mary Margaret while she was living, but death doesn’t separate us as much as we assume it does.
Death cannot separate us from the love of God, nor does it separate us from the love of a mother, or any other person in our lives, who has since passed away. Being inspired to search for my childhood friend, and then finding her obituary, led me to further search for her daughter, and message her, who ended up being in the ER on that exact day.
I thank God for the connection with Mary Margaret’s daughter, Caileen, and I’m sure it
won’t end there, since there are no coincidences with the Lord. When God starts something new, He intends to carry it through to completion.
Lord, thank you for the perfect timing of people you bring into our lives, and for the souls of friends and loved ones who live forever, and continue to bless us today. Amen
