Pearl, my wonderful sister who puts up with unbearable pain

My sister Pearl had a serious case of polio in 1952. (Other members of our family also were afflicted by it, some with longer, some lesser painful results.) Pearl continues to suffer from the long-term results, and her testimony, in the midst of unbearable pain, inspires me every day. This blog posting today is a tribute to one of the most wonderful women I know. She writes:

"The pain I have continues on, and I wouldn't know what to do without The Lord and His Word!!!  How greatly blessed I am, and have been all my life, to have known Him, or....more like, that HE has by Grace alone, known ME!!  Each day tells of calamities like never before, I realize afresh that it is urgent to pray and seek The Lord for His help and Salvation! 

"Whether a calamity is truly great or VERY small upon the global scene, the results to or within the human hearts concerned will be bigger to them, much more than any other may know or realize.   Any and every loss, has significance to the owner,...quite a thought, really.    

"In the Western nations, we are often most uncaring, un-sympathetic, and very inconsiderate of another's deepest feelings of grief and losses, troubles and crosses necessary to bear.  Whether a smaller, personal calamity, ( which IS a really good, descriptive word!-) or a major, global calamity, - I was express the fact of my treasuring The Eternal 

"I was saving this story about this Asian lad , who was born with muscular dystrophy.  I've been blessed beyond words!!   I've experienced sooo many of these feelings, and the same types of questions and wonderings of the future...etc.   And yet, because of the Lord's placing me into the family that I've been thanking Him for today,- and because of all the different surroundings and situations of my own disability - my personal story differs, even as all other disabled peoples will differ in details, but " the bottom line," parallels all the basics.

"Both are such sweet gifts from The Lord to me,....Mom( and Dad! ), in all their wisdom of accepting a disabled child, and causing me to accept myself, and to function " just as all the others" to the fullest and best degrees that I could!

"All the stories that I've read and heard in my lifetime are based for the most part, as to how the PARENTS accepted a child, and/or, how they therefore enabled a child's development.  Even as to IF they stayed together, or broke up the family, or suicide came as a result.)  Then, as a personal "layer" of my own story to build upon, meeting Dennis, and finding our lives to build upon, all the good and bad and indifferent, " the ' for better or for worse'" concept," with The Lord helping us of course, gives me today a lovely review of my/our lives just on these two most important dates as they go quickly by on the 2015 calendar!

"The pain was really terrible today, but He helps me each hour, and I'm so conscious of HIS working for me each moment.   Good night ....and get the sleep you will be needing for all the exciting days ahead!     Love and prayers!   Pearl."