Beauty all around

It's so nice to be here in Florida. The weather is warm, the sky is so blue, the river is so relaxing and the azaleas are in full bloom. After being at home with some pretty cold temperatures and then a few days of snow, it's nice to be where the earth seems to be singing. I've been thinking about two verses-the one about joy comes in the morning and the one about new mercies each morning. I have found those to be so real during these last few very difficult days. We fall into bed at night, emotionally drained and physically spent. We wake up in the morning, find some strength we didn't know we had, and keep going.

I am just amazed at my mom and I am SO thankful that she has such incredible faith. She is grieving, but she told me she knew God still had work for her to do so she had to go on. I know her loss is very different than mine. She was telling someone on the phone last night that not only had they been married for 51 years, but that they had grown up together, gone to school together, their families knew each other-everything! I know she must feel like she has been split in half, but she is so very strong. And that, my dear friends, is only because of Christ. You can't lose someone like that and still go on with just your own human strength. God has to step in. She was so happy with the way the funeral turned out. There as a large crowd and they were able to hear the gospel message and seeds were planted in the hearts of many that day. I felt better after the service- I gained closure and found peace. I had visions of me just crying uncontrollably, but really once it started I felt a quietness and a peace overtake me-that's the Holy spirit. Oh, the many benefits of salvation-- and, its free!

I've been thinking a lot about the way God worked this out. Me having surgery when I did and then me not being able to see dad again before he died. I should look at the as a blessing , I know. I only have images of my dad as a healthy, strong man. That's what God did for me. My brother Mike on the other hand, was here, taking dad to doctors appointments, staying with him in the hospital, taking him to radiation treatments, and helping mom. Although he did see dad's health decline rapidly and see the weight loss and the strength zapped out of him, he has the memories of the valuable time they had together in the end. I've always seen how my family shelters me like a baby-you know how they didn't tell me dad had cancer until I was healing from my surgery and mom would always have a positive report about how dad was feeling, and how they didn't tell me dad had died until I got here-well, now I see that God treats me like the baby of the family too. I don't know quite what to think about that......