Puts it all in perspective.

Tonight after church I took a quick trip to the store that turned out to not be such a quick trip. I ran into somebody that I knew from times past. I was about to turn down the freezer aisle when I saw the mom of one of my junior high school friends. I continued on then felt God telling me to backtrack... so I did. We started small talk and then I asked her how everything was. She told me they had put my friend in a nursing home this past June. NURSING HOME?? Nursing home. This girl was two years younger then me and last time I saw her was quite physical well. She went on to explain that my friend had been diagnosed with schizophrenia about 10 years ago and had been able to somewhat hide it from people but the past 3-4 yrs had grown incredibly worse. She had made 4 attempt at suicide, the last being this past February when she decided to go for a swim in the river at sub-degree temps. She was found with sever hypothermia and frost bite... and had to stay weeks in the hospital. From then on, they (her parents) got legal guardianship and now are dealing with this hardship in their life. I don't know what to say or how to think... I'm shocked. I am no novice when it comes to mental illnesses... both my great-grandmother and grandmother have had diagnosis's of Alzheimer's AND I have watch both of them deteriorate from wonderful godly strong women to a feeble body and mind shell of a person. I know how hard it is to watch somebody you love lose who they are. I can't imagine losing my child in that way. I'm not sure why God had me step back to meet my friends mom accept maybe He knew that she needed a listening ear and a praying heart. If you randomly think about this post - please pray with me that God will give comfort to my friends parents and even to my friend during her lifetime of this.