“My daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 34 years old. She couldn’t care for herself, so she came to live with us, with her three young children. We took them in. It was really difficult. All of a sudden, our roles were changed. I had to bathe her and help her use the pan. And then when she died, the children stayed with us. The youngest was only a baby. I was 60 years old at the time. I remember how busy it was. I’d be in another room and they’d be in the kitchen cupboards, pouring spaghetti on the floor. And my husband wasn’t well either. He died five years later. I don’t know how we got through it. It was one day at a time. But Psalm 23 was always a help to me. ‘He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.’ (verses 2-3). That’s how it felt. I kept that Psalm by my bed and I prayed through it for years … until things got better. This year, I’m 77, and our youngest is 18. He’s doing his final year of school. And they’re great kids. They can even shop.”
Angelina’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.