Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Saying Farewell

From time to time in our Christian walk we have to say farewell to a dear friend. This happened to several of us.

She had been in a local long-term healthcare facility for a few years. Prior to that her daughter and a granddaughter took care of her in her home.
This lady had known what it meant to work hard. She was 84 years old. She and her husband married a little over a month before Pearl Harbor was attacked. She and her husband reared two daughters. Those two daughters gave them six grandchildren.

She was a frail lady. Almost 30 years ago, she was in a car wreck. She broke her back. She later broke it two more times. The first time she was in a brace for quite sometime, but she never missed church. I knew her when she broke it the second and third times. She never complained. She loved the Lord.

There are times we will think of this great lady and fondly smile.
We loved her because she was down-to-earth. She never was one who 'put on airs'.

She enjoyed growing flowers and always had a porchful. She also enjoyed her Christian music. One of her favorites was "Mansion over the Hilltop". She also liked "I'll Fly Away".

This afternoon, several of her friends gathered with her family and celebrated her life. The pastor and her Sunday school teacher of many years sang hymns she liked and the others joined in on most of them. The pastor on the guitar and her teacher on his harmonica.

We will not forget this dear lady. We know where she is. We have to thank God for letting us count this dear sweet lady as our friend.

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...