When My Mommy Dies, Can I Live with You?
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“When my mommy dies, can I live with you?”
This desperate question came from Joy, a small, shy, ten-year-old girl. It was courageous of her to pose this question since she had only met my husband, Dave, and me a few months earlier. We were walking to the car after eating her favorite lunch of cheeseburgers and lemonade, her right hand holding Dave’s hand and her left hand holding mine. Her eyes, filled with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and hope, darted from face to face, anticipating our response to her question.
Joy had been quiet and preoccupied all day—not like previous outings when she was bouncy, cheerful, and talkative—so Dave and I knew she was scared and troubled. Her mother was very ill, and Joy was afraid she was dying. Joy and her mother only had each other, and Joy was worried about where she would live if her mother died. In some ways, I had been preparing my mind and heart for her question and had spent many hours in earnest prayer about her situation, but I was not expecting to need to respond so soon.
Her question sent shock waves through my mind and body as my heart began pounding and thoughts and questions swarmed through my head. Do I have enough energy? I am fifty-eight years old; am I too old to care for a child? How will we have enough money to pay for her needs? We are retired and do not have extra funds. Is this the best thing for her? What if her mother dies?
We were empty-nesters and had two married, successful daughters. We were familiar with the time, energy, expense, and emotional and spiritual strength needed to raise biological daughters, but we did not know what might lie ahead in trying to raise a child from a Cambodian culture. Before I could form the words to respond, Dave put his arm around her tense shoulders and gently reassured her by saying, “We don’t think your mommy is going to die, but if she does, you can live with us as long as you want to. We would be happy to have you stay with us, and we love spending time with you.”
Relief flooded through her as her eyes relaxed and a slight smile formed on her face. Her little hands stopped clenching ours, and she gave each of us a big hug. Then she skipped down the sidewalk to the car and started chatting away.
Eventually, Joy did come to live with us.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Joy desperately reaches out for help because her single mom is dying. Living in an underprivileged part of town, their lives are filled with sickness, violence, fear, and danger. When My Mommy Dies, Can I Live with You? gives a glimpse of how an average empty-nester couple were compelled to help Joy.
They learn the awful reality of the poverty and terror in a part of the city just a few miles from their home. God protects Joy and orchestrates events so their lives intersect.
“I have known Dave and Carolyn for over thirty years. We have two girls the same ages as their two daughters. I have seen tremendous Christian growth in their lives over these years. The story in this Christ-centered book does not surprise me. It is filled with their practical faith and tender hearts as they continue to reach out to hurting people. It is informative as it exposes the dilemma of poor people whose lives have been affected by the HIV/AIDS virus and other social problems. It is challenging as it forces the reader to evaluate the quality of his/her own Christianity. It is almost a diary of their experiences and the reader will be a different person in many ways when the book is closed.”
—Ben West, retired pastor and missionary to the Philippines
About the Author
Carolyn McLendon is a volunteer, speaker, HIV ministry member at Saddleback Church, and taught Sunday school for forty-four years. The power of God's Word and ministry to children compels her to help children at risk. McLendon has two wonderful adult daughters and lives with her husband in Long Beach, California.