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are always happening, and support groups are to be found at every
hour of the day. Heigh has tapped
into them via Facebook, Prayer.com,
and at sites like the one for Osteen’s
Night of Hope. In this way, she has
found other grandparents tending
to their own grandchildren. She has
taken comfort in seeing that other
people’s lives are imperfect, too.
Unlike in person, these online
exchanges spare Heigh from feeling
like she’s a burden: The people she
chats with online are there because
they want to be. She takes refuge in
the anonymity of this interaction.
“At midnight, I can go to the
computer, pull it up and there’s
someone on there somewhere who
can give you insights, a kind word,”
she says. “They’re thinking about
you, praying about it and it’s like,
‘I’m OK. I’m all right. It broadened
my horizons spiritually because I
was able to feel connected, even
though I knew there was no way I
could make it to this or that.”
On this night, in the chat
room at the Night of Hope, she
begins typing.
“I will be married 34 years tomorrow,” she writes. “My husband
and I have had many years of trials
and triumphs. We are now raising
our daughters 2 girls. I feel that my
HUFFINGTON
06.09.13
husband and I have grown far apart
since we took on the responsibility
of these GOD given children.”
“Please pray that we can come
together after all these years.”
Heigh continues. “We have had
the girls for 7 years so it is not
a new situation but seems I am
a single parent.”
Vo answers a minute later.
“Janice, thank you for sharing your story and your heart
with us,” she types back. “We are
standing with you in prayer and
faith. May God’s goodness and
mercy shine upon you.”
From Miami to South Dakota,
this message makes its way, arriving
with the affirmation intended.
“It makes you feel validated,”
Heigh explains later. “The Internet, to me, it has brought a
whole situation to God.”
Bianca Bosker is the executive tech
editor at The Huffington Post, where
she helped launch the site’s tech section.
Osteen
addresses
those who
say his
ministry
doesn’t rely
enough upon
real faith. Tap
here for the
full interview
on HuffPost
Live.