Sometimes Help Comes In Ways We Didn't Expect

Well, I'm not sure about where you live, but here in the piedmont area of NC we have hit hay fever season in FULL FORCE. The coughs, scratchy throats, and stuffy noses are hitting almost everyone.
Yesterday the tickly cough hit me. You know the cough that you can never get to stop no matter how many cough drops you suck on or how much water you drink? Yeah, that one.
But fortunately the lady in the cube near mine happened to get a Prevention magazine yesterday, and one of the articles was talking about things you could do to avoid taking medicines. And you know what works for a cough? Dark chocolate, yes, you heard me right dark chocolate helps coughs. I admit I was skeptical, but after eating about 8 or 9 dark chocolate m&m's, I didn't cough for a few hours.
So I will have to be sure to keep chocolate on hand (this may not help my weight much, but at least I won't be coughing like crazy! LOL!)
But it really made me think that there are times we get help in ways we didn't expect, or in ways that are much better than solutions we may have offered. It brought to mind a little old man at my church named Halton, who is constantly in my thoughts and prayers right now.
See, this little man is dying. They brought him home the other day and called in hospice, and I find myself wanting to pray selfishly that he stay here with us, because he has brought so much joy to our church.
I mean he is one of "THE ROCKS" of our church. Until sickness prevented him, he was there at every service, and this man is well into his eighties. He would sit on the front pew, leaned forward with hands clasped, hungry for the word he would hear from the Lord. I can just see him sitting there while we were singing, clapping his hands and lifting his arms in praise to Jesus, and the thought of never seeing that again brings tears to my eyes.
But he is ready to see "His Jesus". He's ready to see the Savior he has always been so excited to learn about. And my prayer is that he wouldn't have long to wait. Help may come in a way for Halton that brings sorrow to many around him, but oh how sweet to know that I'll see him again one day. I imagine he'll pat me on the back and shake my hand when I enter the gates and say, "Come meet Jesus with me. I'm so glad we're all finally here!" And I can see him sitting at Jesus' feet, hands clasped, leaned forward, listening to the half of the story that's never been told.
So now I'm praying that God would not make Halton suffer for long. Because the broken, tired body is not the Halton that we all know and love. Please pray for the Watkins family and our church as we all face this soon approaching loss.