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| My dad in Vietnam |
Agent Orange, which was an herbicide used by the U.S. military in Vietnam, has been linked to the deaths of many veterans. The official list of health complications includes 14 different diseases, but ischemic heart disease didn't make the list until three years ago.
The heart wrenching part of all of this is that several individuals have told my mother that the doctors knew Agent Orange was the cause -- they were simply told by the government to keep it under wraps. Awful. I'm not all about debating government conspiracy theories, but that was completely unjust for the hundreds, if not thousands, of families affected by this.
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| My dad and I with Bonnie, the Butterscotch Beagle |
My emotional response to all of this seems to be cycling from anger to disgust to sadness, then back to anger again. You never think these things will happen to you, and then all of a sudden you're seemingly drowning in life's "lemons."
Where is Comfort in the midst of all this? He's here. Sometimes I try to ignore Him. Sometimes I yell at Him. Sometimes I blame Him. But He remains right here with me through it all.
"The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end," says the Lord who shows mercy to you."
[Isaiah 54:10]
It's not fair. Nothing connected with war is fair. I guess I would say, in spite of the unfairness, that I'm glad you got to know your dad and have him with you at least part of your life. I wish I had had that. My dad died from infection from battlefield wounds and I never knew him. I wish I had. He was, from all I hear, an exceptional man, and loved the Lord like yours did. I would like to think that they are both very proud of their daughters. Love you Becca, and I loved your dear daddy too. He was also an exceptional man, who raised an exceptional daughter.
ReplyDeleteNothing about your dad's illness and death was fair. And none of it was wished on Him by our loving Father. Years ago, I read a book by a rabbi whose son had a terrible disease. He said that the very fact that we can realize that life is unfair is proof that a good God exists. Otherwise, we'd have no ability to recognize the concept of unfairness. Your dad lives in God's kingdom now where there is no more illness, no more death, no more injustice. Think how happy he is! And one day we will join him and rejoice!
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