It's Been a While...

I haven't had much time to sit and write a post lately and if I did get a second the last thing I wanted to do was sit on the computer and re-cap the craziness.  In short November, December and January has been completely packed to say the least.  Thanksgiving, 6 birthdays, 2 Christmas gatherings, a baby shower, the death of my Grandma and a memorial service.  And most of that took place at our house.  When building our family room addition we prayed that God would use it and we are soooo thankful He has done just that!!  I am most happy when I see many people gather in my house.  It is a huge blessing to my heart to see people coming together...laughing, crying, sharing and creating memories.  A little piece of Heaven if you ask me!

My Grandma recently passed and since she was in her 90's she had out lived most of her friends so what was left was family.  We decided it would be nice to have the memorial service in a more comfortable setting (our home) then in the chapel of the nursing home, which felt a bit generic and impersonal.   

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Blessed and comforted is what we all felt this past weekend during her memorial service.  We were comforted by the fact that God brought our family, both near and far, together, in one room.  What a gift that was.  We were blessed with all of the sharing that went on, on behalf of my Grandma.  Her smile, her soft hands, her blue eyes, the smell of her perfume and her love for bowling and the game Yahtzee.  If you ever want to bless me, ask me to play Yahtzee with you.  My Grandma loved her family dearly and our tummy's knew it well!!  She was an amazing cook and people who visited her home for dinner couldn't believe people ate like that.  Her heart was filled with love and her life was evident of that in her servanthood.  It spoke volumes to everyone.  It was evidence in all that was shared.   We have been given a legacy that reminds us to always love and to always serve.  She was a great example to Matthew 16:24 and now she is reaping the rewards in glory. 
It has been so hard to see my dad, aunt and uncle walk this journey but what they don't know is how much they have blessed us all.  They have honored their parents the best they could and that has brought much wisdom to their children.  As much as I hated seeing them go through this, their love, honor and sacrifice for their parents affected me so deeply.
Another blessing in this was for my for my girls.  We had talked with them many times leading up to the memorial service to prepare their hearts and what to expect.  They did so well sitting and listening to the many memories shared and seeing their family members share tears.  Having my girls watch family members honor another family member was such a gift. The intimate talk we had with our girls after the memorial was filled with wonderful questions, a challenge to live a righteous life, a beautiful conversation about salvation and prayer for the family members who may not know the Lord.

 O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?  The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
I Corinthians 15:55-57

We cried and we are mourning her loss but the sting of death has been removed and our soul feels it.