She was a great listener. Monica was the person in the family that everyone seemed to depend upon. Her mother thanked God every day for her children, but most especially Monica.

When Monica was 16 her Mom died. It was the most terrible time in her life. Not only didn’t she have anyone to talk to about her Mom’s death, she was the one her Dad depended on to keep the family going. Now there were five children, one father. So here she was, a senior in high school—she made sure the wash was done, the house was cleaned, and the family was kept in line; all the while remaining a good student.

She always had faith in God even though she didn’t understand why God took her mother. But once her mother died, Monica became even closer to God, telling her friends, “I have to go to church. Who else can I depend on to get me through this?”

One night, right after graduation, which only one of her younger sisters attended, her Dad said to her, “I have to talk with you.” Just the way he said it, she knew this wasn’t going to be good. He continued, “I met a woman. I’m going to marry her this weekend. I won’t be living here anymore. I will give you money so that you can keep things going.”

And that is what happened. The man abandoned his family. There were no aunts or uncles, grandparents who could help her. So she turned to her faith and lived one day at a time with God. And God got her through it all.

As she grew older, many people liked to talk with her. There was a certain strength in this person that everyone noticed. She would listen to them speak of their problems, while most of the time she would be thinking, “Why are you so upset about this problem, although she didn’t say that out loud. Instead, she would say, “Mark 4: 35 to 41”. They would say, “What?” She would answer, “get a Bible, read that passage and stop talking, just think of Christ in that storm. It is the storm of your life. And then trust. God is not going to abandon you. I know he won’t. I’m living proof.