He’s Waiting for Jesus.
He’s waiting to go to Jesus. This beautiful man, full of love and life just a few months ago. Waiting, longing but also wanting to stay. Joined with this family that adopted him, and he certainly adopted them.
God drew them together, this man and woman. He, dark as the night, she white as day. He, large and sturdy, she small and petite. He, full of love and she, needing to be loved. Yes, God had a plan for this family. To take two so uniquely different people and make them into such a bonded family.
God didn’t just know that they needed each other. God also saw two children, both having been hurt by love, who needed this special man to heal them. Not just make everything OK but to make things wonderful, as life should be when you are a family.
Years have passed. Loved ones have seen this family, molded, blended, hardly able to tell that they haven’t belonged to each other forever. Watching as the pain of the past slipped quietly away and the love of the future took its place.
The years haven’t been without sorrow, as those that love him watched as his health slid downward. A surgery, a painful recovery, cancer diagnosis, and more pain. “Why Lord?” they would cry in unison. “Why does this wonderful man have to go through this much pain when he’s given others so much happiness?”
But God knew. God watched as this family clung to him, prayed for healing, begged that the diagnosis wasn’t so, and cried with every new downward spiral. The Lord knew that it would take a great deal for this family to say, “Take him, please.” Because He knew that their love was so abundant that they would not want him to suffer any longer. That their pain of loss would not compare to seeing this giant of a man reduced to a patient in pain.
So now he’s waiting to go to Jesus. His wife holding one hand, his daughter holding his other, and his son holding his momma, who will be lost when her beloved is gone. They wait also. They wait with him, knowing that they will miss his hugs, his laughter, his acceptance and mostly his love. But they know that it’s time. God sent him to them for a purpose. Purpose completed he waits to go to Jesus. And they wait with him. The love permeating the room.
Written by God with Kay Slippy holding the pen.
For more information read the full story written by Dani Warren
Original Story – Dani Warren
The first noticeable sign that something was wrong occurred in September 2012, when James Warren Jr., began experiencing severe pain just above his right knee. Unfortunately, there were a lot of medical missteps that occurred prior to an accurate diagnosis. Despite the pain and swelling around the knee and the fact that it was significantly hotter to the touch than his other knee, there were no x-rays or other imaging ordered. Instead, the doctor prescribed physical therapy for sciatica. For six months, James endured the pain and got nowhere with physical therapy until, completely fed up, I insisted the doctor take an X-ray of the knee. I’m not sure how I knew it was cancer, but I just did. The doctor laughed when my husband told the doctor my prediction, but humored him and me by ordering the x-ray. Less than 24 hours later we received word that there was a large mass above his knee that had eaten through one wall of his femur.
Three years, two surgeries and a couple of complications later, the cancer came back with a vengeance in the form of a very large and inoperable tumor on his hip which also extended to the sacrum. The tumor caused James to lose his ability to walk. For the last year of James’ life, he required 24×7 custodial care, so I had to leave my full-time job at the University as well as my part-time job as a Pastoral counselor to stay home and take care of him. We lived off a small disability payment and the generosity of friends and family.
I am grateful for the time I shared with him, but it was both physically and emotionally taxing. Watching my “larger than life” husband shrink away was the most painful experience of my life and it drove me to research. I needed to understand the causes of cancer and how to heal and prevent it because I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing anyone else I loved and cared about suffer the way James did if they didn’t have to. I discovered there is much a person can do through diet and lifestyle to greatly reduce the odds of all disease and improve health and well-being. It has become a passion of mine to share this education with as many people as I can. It’s also important that I honor the memory of my husband and others who have lost their battles with this wicked disease. So, let me tell you about James Warren, Jr.
James truly was larger than life. His energy was electric and when he walked in the room he changed the atmosphere. His smile, his loud laughter and fun-loving nature enveloped everyone he met. James had an incredible ability to make the person in front of him feel accepted and like they were the most important person in the room.
Kids loved him and so did everyone else. He was the Story time guy at Imagine Coffee in Corvallis every Saturday morning reading stories to the children. It wasn’t the stories they loved, it was the way he got them involved in the stories and how he connected with each one of them. On several occasions, parents would bring their kids and warn him that their child was shy and likely wouldn’t engage. To these parents amazement, James would have the child laughing and practically eating out of his hand in no time! At Christmastime, James would don the red suit and beard and entertain young and old with his hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!”
James was pretty comfortable in his own skin, definitely his own man. The man could not be bullied, guilted or coerced into something he didn’t want to do or anything that would go against his moral code. He loved people, but wasn’t a “people-pleaser.” He also wasn’t star-struck and never put on airs. A good example of this was the time he worked as a bodyguard at The Palace of Auburn Hills. On one occasion, he was assigned to Michael Jordan. When Michael asked James to carry his bags, James boldly and unashamedly replied that he was there to keep him safe, not carry his bags!
James served our country in the U.S. Marines and distinguished himself as the Marine in basic training who displayed the highest degree of military proficiency in physical fitness, marksmanship, dress, appearance and leadership qualities. He served as military police and bodyguard to the American Ambassador, Shirley Temple-Black, at the embassy in Accra Ghana. He also spent some time in the jungles of Cambodia and served at the American embassy in Singapore.
After his military service, James went to college on the G. I. Bill at the University of Illinois where he played Safety as a walk-on for the football team. James’ football claim to fame was the time he sacked Dan Marino!
There’s much more that could be said about James Warren, but the most important thing we remember and cherish was how he made us feel. He loved and accepted us unconditionally, he brought us much joy and laughter, and he taught us to wake up grateful for every day that God gives us breath.
One Simple Change.
By Dani Warren
Everyone can make one simple change today that will improve their health. That’s what I wish I knew when my husband, James Warren, was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. Sadly, he lost his battle to this dreadful disease in 2016. This painful loss set me on a quest to discover the cause of cancer and what, if anything, can be done to prevent it and help the body to heal from it.
What I discovered in my research has dramatically changed the trajectory of my life! I learned that cancer is the result of damaged DNA and a compromised immune system. I also learned that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can both protect our bodies from damaged DNA and support a healthy, balanced immune system. I also learned there are thousands of medical transcripts that prove the more fruits and vegetables one eats the less likely they are to die from ANY disease, including cancer! So, as Hippocrates said, food really is medicine!!
Here’s the rub: almost none of us get enough fruits and vegetables in our diets. How are we supposed to get 9-13 fist-size servings of clean, raw fruits and vegetables from the whole rainbow of colors in our diets EVERYDAY? Thankfully, shortly after James passed away, I was introduced to a company that has learned how to put fruits and vegetables in capsules and chewables–30 of them!! It’s one simple change that can make a HUGE difference and it’s backed by more clinical research than any other nutritional product in the world! Now, I’m on a mission to inspire healthy living around the world with Juice Plus. I have a moral imperative to share this gift with everyone I know because I don’t want anyone I know and love to go through what James did, if they don’t have to. Good health starts with one simple change at a time.
He was my friend, my co-worker, and now is part of the KickinCancer AVENGERS…Black Panther.
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