It was a tough time. Got the news that year that my father was sick and was in the hospital. We flew to New York to see him. We went to the hospital and the doctor broke the news to us. He had cancer. I fell apart. I couldn’t believe it. I fell to the ground on my knees. Literally felt the weakness overwhelmed me and just felt and burst into a big, “NO!!!!!” It was hard. It was very hard to take. It was very hard to accept. How can it be? He is the best father in the whole wide world. He is the best father anyone would wish to have for a father. Why! God! Why! I was a mess.
After I got home, I would burst into tears suddenly in the middle of the day, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of driving. I would just suddenly brawled in the screams and cried and cried and cried. “Why! God!! Why!!! Could you give him a chance!!!”
I usually drive around with the radio on. As with anything at any time, the radio was always on.
One time and continued on many times, I would burst into tears from nowhere and the radio would suddenly play, “Little girl.. don’t you cry. The Lord has answered your prayer tonight.”
It then continued, “Everything’s gonna be alright The Lord’s gonna answer your prayer tonight. The Lord has answered your prayer tonight.”
That is all I hear. It is all I remembered it said.
Then another time, I would hear the whole song play right from the start while I was crying and the song would sing, “Quit school you had to drop out to raise your little child.”
Oh, Lord! That was me!
Read full lyrics on Google Play for Irene from TobyMac so you know more about me and this song.
While the song kept playing on the radio each time I cried and cried, I realized, God might be trying to tell me something. I was hopeful and yet, not sure.
Looking back in time, He did. My Lord did answer my prayer. After he went through all the medical, chemo and so forth, and we went back every week, one of us, me and my brothers and my mom will be in NY each week for him.
We then got the news he was cancer free. We were so excited!! We were so thankful!! And it was a chance we got to spend time with him and showed him how much we appreciate him. We went back to NY as much as possible. We played MJ with him (I don’t know MJ. Just sit by and have a good laugh with everyone).
Then in 2005, his cancer came back and took him from us.
My Lord did answer my prayer and I am very thankful for the additional times we had with my father.