Wracked with severe osteo-arthritis pain for years now, Ella, shrunken to half her size, walked gingerly to her spot on the worn couch in her warm, angel-filled living room. Yes, angel-filled. You can’t be in Ella’s home or even with her without feeling God’s presence and the Heavenly beings that accompany Him. She has prayed so often for me and mine for many years now and the love spent from times spent praying for us just beams from her beautiful smile when she sees me.

My visit to her today is no different. We visit, talk over her life, her situation, her amazing life. Always anxious to hear news, she questions, relates, supports, encourages me always. I asked about a niece, my age, who is suffering the ramifications of breast cancer and she told me a story that sums up Ella so well. She thought it was a story about the niece, but to me, it was a teaching moment, reflecting who Ella is, her love, her passion for her God and people.

(After months of chemo, surgery, and now going through radiation Alee, her niece spent some time with Ella) “Alee came over one day when she had the strength. She just lay down on the couch, suffering, in pain, and we talked. Then, she asked if she could come and kneel at my knee and put her head in my lap. Would I stroke her hair, just like her mama had when she was a little girl and pray for her. “

“So she came over, sat on the floor, cuddled in close and lay her head down. I began to stroke and pray and speak God’s love and healing over her. The phone rang. I was going to ignore it, but she insisted, ‘No, go ahead.’ And, I did. It “happened” to be a lady working with cancer patients. I told her I was in the middle of praying with my niece who was suffering with cancer. Then I asked her, “Do you know Jesus?” The woman said, “Well, as a matter of fact, I do!” So I told her, “Well, then, will you pray with us just now?”

This is my Ella who I love so dearly. The demeanor of elegance, a queen, always dressed beautifully, confident with a knowing peace and joy even in the midst of her trials. She is one who is not ashamed of the gospel. Her faith is rooted deep. She has asked many…doctors, lawyers, strangers, “Do you know Jesus?” If they don’t, she introduces them; if they do, she joins them in their journey, inviting them into hers as well. We are indeed joint heirs with Christ…family in the highest form, loved at the intensest level.