Christina, a young widow, lost her husband roughly a year and a half after they got married. But God has plans for her.
Young Widow Christina
Less than two years after getting married, Christian and her husband Carmine had a daughter. Her name is Roma, and they love her dearly. But Carmine’s condition didn’t allow him to show that.
“He told me that he had these headaches,” Christina said as tears welled up in her eyes. “I just remember when he used those words, ‘Can you just make Roma like stop crying, it hurts.’ Because if you knew Carmine, you know that he really wanted a family, and he was so happy to have Roma. He loved her very much. When she was born and up until about a month-and-a-half it was just pure joy and pure bliss.”
Christian Becomes a Young Widow
Carmine went to the doctor, but his headaches were dismissed as the result of stress, so he went home. Until one night, that is. Christina was startled awake by the smell of something burning on the stove. Carmine had a seizure when she went downstairs to check.
It all happened so fast. He’d had a severe brain abscess, which had resulted in significant swelling and bleeding. He was taken off life support when doctors said there was nothing they could do.
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“I knew that when I left the room it would be the last time that I’ll see him,” Christina said. “I walked down the hallway and I just – I felt so alone.”
A New Love
Christian decided to raise Roma all by herself. She was determined to be a role model of faith to her daughter.
“I’ve seen people within my own family turn away from God,” Christina said. “I’ve seen firsthand what that looks like, and I did not want Roma to see me fall into that. I have to show her what it looks like to trust God. I chose to read my Bible and read what God said, and trust that He was going to provide me with the love that I needed to get me through.”
For the next two years, Christina focused on her daughter. Then she met Alan, the worship leader, at a local church.
“The thought of falling in love again never crossed my mind,” Christina said. “I had become so close in my relationship with Jesus—I was good. When I first met Alan, I noticed that there were feelings there. But a part of me was like, ‘I can’t do that.’ I felt guilty, because in my mind and in my heart I was still married to Carmine.”
Roma’s High Five
Christina recognized as she prayed that God was opening her heart to this opportunity—the chance to love and be loved by someone again. Then Roma did something that confirmed those emotions.
“Roma doesn’t give high fives to anybody,” Christina said smiling. “And she gave him a high five. That was a pretty big deal for us.”
Christina and Alan married and relocated to California. They have two kids, Brooklyn and Virginia, from their marriage. The five of them, along with Roma, have discovered serenity and enormous joy, which Christina attributes entirely to God fulfilling her prayers.
“God has been really good through the whole entire journey of my grief,” Christina said. “He brought Alan into my life. Roma loves him like he’s her dad. It’s very special because she says all the time, ‘I have a daddy in heaven that loves me, but I also have a daddy here that loves me just as much.’”
“I want people to know that choosing to trust God doesn’t take away your circumstances, but choosing to trust God does provide you everything you need to get through it. That’s exactly what He did for me,” she concluded.
Header image: Christina’s family [@700 Club Interactive]. YouTube, 7 March 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK9E_9HjrqQ
Reference: The 700 Club
