Yesterday throughout the United States people were looking up at the sky with special glasses on. The glasses were designed to block the rays of the sun that the moon didn’t block. It was one of those events that doesn’t happen often. The moon was lined up between the sun and the earth for a limited time. In some places it was close to a 100% blockage. To others like where I live it was closer to 80. Still it was a sight that people were lined up to see with glasses in place. Some places went dark in the middle of the day. Others like mine became dull and reminded me of the darkened horizon before the sun sets.
This past week I have noticed a bright light missing from my computer. I discovered the light a couple of years ago when a skinny lady from Kenya with a huge smile and a joyous attitude entered my computer world. Her name was Lydia Jeritoch although I noticed that many people called her Jeritoch. I wasn’t sure if I was calling her by her proper name but she assured me that either was acceptable. One day someone shared one of my stories with Lydia and the next thing I knew there was a request on my Facebook page to accept her friendship. Not knowing her I sent a message asking why she wanted to be my friend? I don’t remember how she responded but I’m thinking she told me she read a story and that she was a Christian. However it happened she became a tremendous blessing in my life, an avid supporting friend, and an enthusiastic supporter of my writing. Although our initial meeting was somewhat dim in my memory, the light she shined since has lit up my computer screen for the last two years.
Lydia started posting her story in pieces on her Facebook page. After reading parts of her story I felt like I should write about her. It would be an expanded version of the basic facts she had which made the story flow. Before I did anything I asked her for permission. People are not always interested in being the feature of a story that many will read. Lydia was overjoyed that I thought she was worthy enough to write about. That attitude was so impressive about Lydia. She never put herself above others. She was super happy that this blessing had come into her life!
I gave Lydia my email and asked her to fill in the blanks that I questioned in her story. Each question I asked she graciously gave me inside details that made her story easy to write. Her story was unusual as far as topics I usually write about. It told the story of a young skinny girl in a far off city struggling to breathe. Among her other struggles was a struggle to trust doctors for fear that their agenda was just to take her money. In writing her story I felt her struggles as she lived with a condition that had to be scary and difficult to adjust to. The story turned out very beautiful and Lydia was overjoyed. Before I put it out there I gave her a preview and asked her to correct any faults in the story. The only mistake she found was the size of the university she attended. I think it was the second largest and I thought it was the third. The link to her beautiful story is listed below.
Finally the work was done and I put Lydia’s story out there. I contacted her and told her it was there and I hoped she was pleased with it. I have never written a story before where the subject was so thrilled! Lydia could not stop thanking me and complimenting me for picking her to lift up. I told her how it was a beautiful story because the subject was so beautiful. When the story hit the page there was a tremendous response especially from her home country Kenya. People started leaving comments and many of them remembered Lydia but had been out of touch for a long time. I noticed the tremendous number of comments that people left for her story. Upon further examination I realized that when anyone wrote a comment Lydia patiently took the time to respond to that person individually and personally. She was thrilled that people loved her story and that special touch of giving each a personal message of encouragement was how she showed her love.
Many months passed since that delightful time. Lydia was thrilled when at the end of 2015 her story was the lightenload story of the year! Since she was in Kenya and our time zones are so far apart we didn’t always see each other online. However there were times that I woke up in the middle of the night and there she would be. She posted about how great her God was often and I could always feel the joy in her heart. At the end of 2015 I was having my own health issues. They wanted to do a bunch of tests on me that left me wondering if my time here was limited. One night I saw Lydia and asked her to pray for me. Lydia was only too happy to and I knew that she was a friend I could count on and really cared!
A few weeks later the tests were done and I was pleased to tell Lydia the happy news that after much testing nothing was found! If it were possible I think she was even more ecstatic than I was! She mentioned that she was weeping with joy! My story link is listed below.
About a week ago I happened to get on Facebook and Lydia’s picture was staring at me. Someone was breaking the news that Lydia had passed away. From the details I could gather she had been in the hospital for only a couple of days. It seemed that she was having heart issues again. Just the day before I had seen a post that Lydia made in which she was glorifying God in her typical way. Nothing was mentioned about any discomfort she was going through. It was obvious she had her sights on encouraging others and not complaining about her own problems.
The eclipse yesterday to me is a reminder of her. Though her light may have seemed to diminish much like when the moon got in front of the sun it found a way to shine through. Eventually the moon passed from the line of the sun and we realized what a wonderful beautiful gift the sun is. That is how it is with Lydia’s light to me. Without it being present I notice that a true friend has departed. Although it was never going to work out where I would actually meet her in person, someday I will. Until we meet again I will never forget the light that she gave which shined for her God to a hurting world. Her light is physically gone now and Facebook is much dimmer, but Heaven is a little brighter.
I would’ve liked to have met Lydia! What a bright light in the sky as you are, Lewis! Thank you for sharing!
That was a wonderful story, Lewis!
Oh Lewis! Thank you for sharing her story with all of us and shining a light on such a Godly woman.
So touching.
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