For My Stepmother's Sister

My stepmother is from Costa Rica--it's a long story.

Anyway, last night she called me and told me one of those stories that can only happen in developing countries. Her youngest sister has four children. One of these had been diagnosed some time ago with hemophilia. This child had gone into the hospital while my stepmother was there. My stepmother helped to pay for her care. My stepmother noticed while she was there that her sister was not looking well and paid for her to visit the doctor who told her she needed to lose weight. All that said, my stepmother's sister simply didn't have the money to care for herself and her daughter, and so the daughter got the care. The end result--my stepmother called last night and told me that she had gotten news that her sister died.

Please pray for this woman's soul, for her children, and for her husband José and for his ability to raise four children alone. I think this sister may have lived near their parents, so José may have some help from the grandparents. But they live eight hours from anywhere (San José--the capitol and only large city of Costa Rica) and life is very difficult.

Every time I am granted a glimpse into this world, I can only reflect on how blessed I am.