UPDATED: In the words of others: Rick Altergott

Some days, blogging is hard. I might have an idea of what I want to express in my writing, but the words, stories or memories get so jumbled together that it's hard to write something cohesive or precise. Some days, I'm too busy, tired, sad or numb (or all of the above) to write.

Then, like manna from Heaven, someone else’s words, photo, video, Bible verse or memory arrives to my phone or laptop, so I incorporate them into a post. This morning, I received the following words, via text, from Chip’s very good friend Rick Altergott, who created the artwork shown in Tuesday’s blog post. He gave me permission to share his words in my blog, so I am doing just that today.

Hi Cindi:

Thank you for keeping the blog going; it is very special and reading the postings help give me a better understanding of the life you shard with Chip, and how wonderful your tie together was. The details of your return home are heartrending, and I remember being with you myself when you received a package that Chip had ordered from a catalog , and how it affected you, as the mail arrived with reminders of his recent activities.

I hope you are better now and gaining strength each day. Surely that is how Chip would have wanted you to be.

When I first learned of Chip’s diagnosis from Tim Willard, I had no idea of how serious it was; he had already overcome Prostate cancer and was in remission before the Pancreatic happened. He seemed to be in relative good spirits and was aggressively fighting it with the help of a great team of doctors at Johns Hopkins. And, it had been caught early, which was maybe the only positive part of the situation, but something to add hope onto.

I came across a passage in the New Testament, Luke 18, called The Parable of the Persistent Widow. I was praying for Chip regularly, and the gist of the parable is that it’s ok to ask for the same thing from God over and over, and it's not disrespectful to Him. Eventually, the widow wears the judge down and he grants her petition. My own vigil on Chip’s behalf lasted long enough for me to realize that ultimately, what I was asking for from God in restoring Chip to health , was a miracle, because his condition was ongoing for almost 3 years!

And, sadly, my prayers, combined with those of so many others were not answered. For me, it’s been tough to understand why all this happened to such a great person as Chip, why it was not God’s will to save him, and it has led me to a sort of crisis of faith. In toto, not very many of the things I pray for come to pass, and I have to come to terms with that, but still, I had placed some real faith that this one would happen, that God would reveal His Glory by healing Chip. Maybe it was unrealistic to hope for that outcome, but with every new treatment he underwent, I had hoped that medicine could equal divine intervention.

Whatever happens next, I will always be inspired by Chip’s determination and courage, and how lucky he was to have you as his partner in the fight. That you two were able to take that on together for an unrelenting 3 years and still build a life together filled with so many fine memories and times together is pretty miraculous in itself, and something we can all take heart in.

Please be well and I hope every day gets bit better.

Rick Thank you, Rick. May God keep you and the countless others who lost a friend on May 31, 2020 in his loving care.