Danny Oertli is a popular singer/songwriter of Christian music. He currently travels the country participating in music ministry, using his talents to bring others to Christ. In “Mommy Paints the Sky,” he tells the story of what brought him to where he is today, but more specifically, he tells the story of Cyndi, his first wife.
He first met Cyndi through a church-sponsored activity, and was immediately struck by her positive outlook on life and how she seemed to fit in everywhere, regardless of who she was with. Her genuine love for people astounded him, and it wasn’t long before they were together all the time. They were married in 1994 and went off on a beautiful tropical honeymoon, but Cyndi didn’t feel well for most of their trip. Danny mentions he was starting to wonder if he’d married a hypochondriac!
But as their marriage progressed, her health got worse until finally, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease. She did the round of medical treatment, losing all of her hair through chemotherapy. Throughout all of it, she tried to keep a good attitude, but sometimes the sickness was just too much for her to bear.
After her treatments were complete and her health had returned to somewhat normal, a miracle occurred – Cyndi and Danny found out they were going to have a baby. This blessing was more than they had ever dreamed – with her sickness, they didn’t think it would ever be possible. But a beautiful daughter was brought into their lives. Later on they decided to adopt a second child, and added a son to their family. But that son was still a toddler when the unthinkable happened – Cyndi had a heart attack and passed away.
Danny talks about his grief over his wife’s death, and the amazing ways God showed His support through Danny’s trials. One of the most poignant moments came when their daughter looked up one night and saw the sunset, the whole sky painted with brilliant colors. “I guess God let Mommy paint the sky tonight,” was her innocent comment, and it changed Danny’s world. Every time he saw a sunset after that, he thought about his child’s faith that her mother was truly up there in Heaven, painting the sky for them to enjoy.
I was very touched by this sweet memoir of faith and remembrance, and I think you’d enjoy it as well.
(This book was published in 2004 by NavPress.)
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