Sitting here in the Northwest this morning, savoring coffee and memories, I could not feel more blessed, nor grateful, for Christina’s life and the legacy she left behind.

Over the last eleven years since Christina’s passing, it has become a beautiful tradition for Carol and me to reach out to people who have allowed God to reveal Himself to us through their friendship and kindness, and thank them.

Dear friends who felt more like lighthouses in a storm, their words and kind actions providing a source of light and direction, a bright and sure beam of light that kept the rocks at bay during a storm that felt like it had no end, a depth that had no bottom.

Yesterday’s phone calls started with a longtime friend of mine whose whole life is measured by truth and integrity. I will not mention his name here, as he would have no desire for recognition.

My friend’s life is devoted to service, a highly decorated retired captain in the Air Force and a retired pilot from a major airline. My friend’s life is characterized by trust, truth, and character. So when he says he’s seen something, you can count on it, it was seen. The stories from his life of service have always inspired me and strengthened my faith.

Yesterday, on Christina’s 39th birthday, my morning walk took me by Commencement Bay, the rising sun casting an otherworldly shine across the water. My heart held the treasures of the weekend like a reliquary, quiet, sacred, and full.

My mind drifted in and out of sacred memories from the past weekend that I will always hold dear, helping my son Matthew and his precious wife Katie as they moved into their new home, only blocks from our Whimsical Cottage by the Bay. Welcoming Katie’s parents at the airport to witness the dedication of our shared grandbaby, five-month-old Emmalynn Claire. With our fifth child Dasha joining us in the Northwest for all these milestone events, Mother’s Day was all the more special.

It was in this moment that my heart told me to call my friend who, eleven years ago, always managed to arrive at the hospital before me, his well-worn Bible open on his lap, praying for Christina during the fight of her life, assuring me through his gentle presence that even in these moments of pain that felt endless, God’s love is a constant, and that we would once again feel the warmth of the sun and a hope that only God can provide.

Thankfully, my friend answered the call, and I was able to thank him for his service, recollecting a cherished memory from eleven years ago that I will always hold dear. It was during one of those darkest moments at the hospital when our hopes for a cure were once again dashed, when God seemed so far away, and life seemed so meaningless. I had just returned from a mind-numbing experience, following an ambulance once again to a neighboring hospital for yet another lifesaving attempt.

Hope seemed so far away, and the light seemed non-existent.

And yet there was my friend, who had been praying throughout the morning, on his knees before God, sharing a story with me that I will never forget. He shared that during his time of prayer, God revealed an image of angels posted around the roof of the building that Christina was in. And then he shared that they were not just any angels, they were warrior angels.

My friend took me to God’s Word and shared how, in theology, warrior angels represent God’s power to protect and deliver, especially in unseen spiritual battles. They are often invoked metaphorically in prayers for protection and strength.

For Carol and me, the messenger that God sent to deliver this vision was as important as the vision itself, a man whose heart and head are inexorably intertwined with truth and courage, delivering a message of hope and strength that still sustains us today. I hope that my friend’s message is as timely to you today as it was to Carol and me eleven years ago, and that you take hope in the knowledge that God’s love is a constant, providing strength during the darkest of times, that His love is forever, and that hope can always be found in Christ.

A birthday is never complete without affirmations, so, on your birthday Christina, I pull from the words of Sathish last year when I attended his wedding. The little boy in India whom you sponsored nine years ago shared these words with me on his wedding day, reflecting back on his life, sharing how you were a light, a presence in his life that never dimmed.

In Sathish’s words:

“Christina convinced me that I can believe in myself, and that there is kindness in the world.”

“I do not know what my life would have been if not for her.”

“Other children opened their boxes for the gifts, I opened mine for the treasure of her letters.”

“That’s all I ever wanted from her, and she never disappointed me.”

The legacy of Christina, listening to her heart and taking action, lives on through not only Sathish, but through he and his wife Sowmya’s first child, sweet little Vennila, whose birth last month is a testament to the man that Sathish has become.

I am so grateful today for love that endures, and the messengers God sends us, if we only have hearts to hear and faith to trust Him.

Your Legacy of light still guides us, Christina, today, always, and in every sunrise.