LIVING STRONG
It happens every year - Birthdays, Anniversaries, Thanksgiving, Christmas. These are the times that we make memories, some good and some not good. Thankfully, most of mine are very good, but when one or two people who are a big part of your memories are not with you anymore, the memories become more precious but the occasions become quite challenging.
My husband passed away about a year and a half after my son John. His name was John as well. In many ways they were a lot alike and both were God Chasers. John (my husband) was broken-hearted when Johnny went to live in Heaven. Not long afterwards, John had a dream that Johnny was giving him a tour of Heaven and prior to Johnny’s passing, John heard an audible voice calling “Hi Dad”. He called our three sons to see if there was a need, but none of our three were in trouble. After work one day, I walked into our home and John was sobbing. He said he heard the voice calling, “Hi Dad” again (this was after Johnny left us). The Lord reminded me that there is no time in Heaven. I do believe that John actually heard Johnny welcoming him there.
Last year I was numb during all the holidays and very sad. It is hard for some people to understand because they think the busier you are the quicker you recover. That may be an interesting theory but it doesn’t work. The process of recovering from such loss is not quick nor easy nor fun and no one can tell you how long it takes.
Being a believer in Jesus Christ does give strength and substance to the process. It also helps to have a loving family and supportive friends. I am blessed to have both. It hasn’t been easy - the ride sometimes feels like a roller coaster. Other times it feels like a steam roller passing over your body. Then there are times you’d rather not talk to anyone and then those where you want to be in a crowd. I did find that the more I yielded to the Lord’s presence, those times began to happen less frequently and the roller coaster journey began to level out.
This year at Thanksgiving I tagged along with one of my sons and his family to deliver a turkey and other Thanksgiving food items to an 85 year old man who lived alone in a camper. This very precious gentleman had no “creature comforts” and also had not seen his daughter in 18 years. In addition, he had a 7 year old granddaughter whom he had never met. This year, both his daughter and granddaughter were coming to visit him. When my son took the food into his little camper and prayed for him, this elderly man cried. He was so appreciative that someone would take the time to visit him and show him the love of the Lord Jesus. As I pondered on this scene, I realized I had absolutely nothing of which to be sad. Even though John and Johnny now live in Heaven, I am so honored that the Lord chose to give them to me, even for a short time.
So I faced this year’s holidays and my anniversary with joy. There was little sorrow and a whole lot of gratitude and love as we enjoyed each other. You see, it is a choice - joy is a true choice and when it’s chosen, the Lord supplies it in abundance. I am so blessed that He has shown me how to live and been right there every step of the way.
