Things happen that we may not ever understand. Terrible things. I live in a small tight-knit community. If you look far enough back everyone is probably kin to each other. Even if we aren't kin, we treat each other as if we are.
We had an incident happen on January 16, 2020, that has rocked our whole community in such a big way. Things like this are not supposed to happen here, but it did.
An outsider entered into our little world and wrecked our whole community, affecting so many lives...from the victims, the people that tried to help, the first responders, the law enforcement, family and friends...everyone.
The horror started in the early morning when this intruder tried to abduct two young women in a local grocery store. Being unsuccessful he fled the store and traveled north where he encountered a local rural mail carrier.
She was doing her job when he shot her in the head. No rhyme or reason. The person he shot had a name and a family. Sherry Clausen Ingold lived life to the fullest, never met a stranger, worked hard, and played hard. She planned to retire in only a few months.
Sherry fought hard for her life, but God called her home on January 24, 2020. She was 58 years young. She left behind a husband, son, two daughters, and eight grandchildren, a best friend, and many other family and friends.
Sherry was a Christian and portrayed her life as such. She exuberated joy. One of her daughters said that her mother would have wanted the people praying for her to also pray for the man that shot her and his family.
We want to believe that this is a nightmare we will all awaken from, but it isn't. We want to know all the why's. We don't have any answers.
Her death was senseless from our view and if prayer could reverse things to be normal again ... to where it never happened, she sure had the multitudes of prayer warriors to do that.
I always look for any positive from tragedy. This is what the Lord laid upon my heart. God loved Sherry and He knew the lives she touched from day to day. But He also knew through her journey and her injury, He would touch people that didn't know her or Jesus. God used her circumstance to shine on how she embraced life, how she fought to survive, and how she raised daughters with such beautiful spirits. Using everyone to turn lives to Jesus and give hope of life everlasting.
Our days here are numbered. Our time is a fleeting moment compared to eternity. Sherry is where we all long to be. It was not surprising to me to hear that she was an organ donor. Giving and loving are her legacy. She will live on in the lives and hearts of everyone she touched. She has given life and hope to her recipients and their families.
What was done in evil, has glorified God. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Sherry's favorite color was purple. The love for her will be shown as she travels to her final resting place. Every mailbox will be dressed with a purple bow honoring her life.
