When you loose someone you Love!

I have several more posts that I will share regarding spiritual fortification, but I thought I'd insert a separate personal post here considering the events of this past week. 

We've probably all lost someone that we loved dearly. I have several times now. But this time it was especially difficult…

Yesterday my grandma, 89 years, passed away after a long seven year battle with breast cancer. She was alert and oriented until 1 day before she died. It was amazing. Thankfully, she died without a struggle, and we are relieved that her years of suffering are over.

We will miss her dearly… We've all cried more tears then I thought possible this week (mostly before she died as we sat and sang songs to her and talked to her, even when she was too weak to respond), but we are so relieved that she is now at rest until the resurrection morning when Jesus will come back to take us Home. When you loose someone you love, it makes you even more eager to go to Heaven, and I keep praying that God will continue to use her life as a witness and testimony to others.

You would not believe how strong and courageous and peaceful my Grandmother was…even to the end. She was ready to go and claiming the promises and encouraging us in the faith. One evening after I prayed with her, this last week, she told me: "It's so neat that tonight I can pray with you and in the morning (speaking of when she wakes up in the resurrection) I can wake up and talk to Jesus face to face." Another thing she told me was, "Keep praying and working and win as many souls to the Kingdom as you can and when you get to heaven you can tell me all your stories." :-) Finally, two days before she died, as she was too weak to get up anymore and we were providing bedside care, she grabbed on to my hand and wouldn't let go as she said teasingly, "I've got you! And you can't go!" I'm amazed that even to the end when her body was failing (she hadn't eaten in 2 days), she was still cheerful and praising God. The last days were difficult seeing her suffer, but God gave her strength and now the battle is over!

While it's sad, I'm so excited that someday we will all be together again. I can't imagine what it would be like if I thought she was FOREVER gone!!! It's so encouraging to have this blessed Hope and it reminds me of one of my favorite songs we sang while I was in high school. The words to the song came from 1 Thes. 4:13-17

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thes. 4:13-17

So, although it's hard to let go of those you love, let us look forward toward Heaven, knowing that one day soon, He will wipe away all tears from our eyes! He is coming soon!!

A memorial will be held for Grandma on May 19th - 2pm, here in our community. Will return to "normal postings" on Friday. This has been a tough week! Thanks for understanding