Thank the Lord for Good Memories

I am so very thankful for all the prayer support I received from all of you! You may be asking yourself how I would know if you prayed or not....but it was very obvious to me that our Lord lifted me up the day of my grandma's funeral. I thought I would be a blubbering mess, since this is what I had known of myself for these past few days. God was my rock, though, and with his support I found myself to be in great comfort during her funeral. I was able to confidently share the message at her funeral that I had written, and had but a few tears streaming down my cheeks here and there as I listened to the things that touched me:

• My uncle's "thank you" to my grandpa, mother, and aunt for caring for grandma the past year and a half.
• My cousin's touching and meaningful song lyrics that he read.
• My brother's poem he wrote and had me read for him, and hearing my sister's lessons she's learned from grandma.
• Pastor Dennis's stories of how my grandpa and grandma met at a carnival in Madison, how he proposed to her across the ocean, and how they lived the dreams they shared.
• Singing "Jesus Loves Me" as a closure for her funeral because this is the song she sang to herself to get through her year and a half of pain.
• Hearing the cemetery's chimes ring out "Jesus Loves Me" as we walked away from her burial site.

The thing that made me the saddest though, was that on the day she had planned to finally celebrate our Christmas, we gathered together for her funeral instead. As I experienced my sorrow, though, I also found comfort in the sermon of how beautiful heaven will be for all of us planning for it. I am happy for my grandma; with the lifestyle she lived, you could confidently say that she is up there enjoying a feast with her maker and savior as you read this. Yes, I cry each time I think of something about her, but I know that I will see her again someday.....

I am thankful for three lovable daughters who sent well-wishes to their great-grandma for her journey.....

I am thankful to have a sister who was along my side during my reading, and throughout the experience......

I am thankful for my cousins and grandpa to share upcoming memories with.....

I am thankful for my grandpa's loving brother and sister in laws to support him during his time of need.....

I am thankful for my mom--for all the great care she gave to my grandma and for the care she has always given to me......

And finally, I am thankful for a husband who hugged me when I needed it, helped me find smiles when I didn't want to, encouraged me to share something for my grandma that came from my heart, and was so busy taking pictures for me to scrapbook, that he forgot to be in pictures, himself .....

I thank you for reading my thoughts--I encourage you to return next week as I resume my health and faith BLOGS.

With Love, Whol-E-Herbster