Monday, April 27, 2015

Tonight we sat with my Daddy as he breathed his last breath. Sitting with someone you love as they die is a sacred thing. It is a sad thing and a glad thing. Daddy suffered from Alzheimer's and it was a glad thing that he went to his heavenly home but a sad thing to say farewell to your father.
Alzheimer's is a terrible disease. But not long before he died, he told me on the phone that I was his daughter and that he loved me and that I would always be in his heart. I held that close to my heart realizing that he was sharing some insight and wisdom about the disease itself. Maybe God holds those lost things in the heart of the sufferer to be a part of the Eternal.
I am grateful that he did not have to go to an Alzheimer's care facility and that in my heart, God showed mercy by taking him Home. But it is a thing of sorrow to lose a parent no matter how old you are. So farewell for now, Daddy, because I know that one day we will be together again. And in our heavenly home nothing will be lost, but through the grace of God everything will be gained.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

They are here!.......one thing about living in Marble, a remote mountain place, that I have not shared is the importance of the arrival of the hummingbirds. They arrive sometime in April. This is a huge event for us because we consider it the heralding of Spring. We often hear the humming of their wings before we can see them. We get two varieties up here, the Broad Tailed and the Rufus. Everyone puts out feeders and they literally take over Marble in the summer. They will swarm right over your head and by your face to get to their food source. If you hold a feeder really still, they will eat out of your hand. They fight each other to protect their perceived feeder and will sit guard over it. We absolutely adore our hummingbirds in Marble!!

Today as my friend and I were wandering about, we discussed how they should be arriving at anytime! Low and behold, at the end of the walk, we heard the unmistakeable sound of the humming of wings! We stopped, we listened, we high-fived each other and let out a wooooohooooo! The official heralding of Spring had arrived!

My family is going through a difficult time right now with my daddy's battle with Alzheimer's. It is painful to see someone slip into that unknown territory of the brain as it deteriorates. There are really no words to describe it. But hearing that hummingbird today reminded me that the wonders of God are all around us even in our troubled times. We just have to be open to hear, open to see, open to the simple joy of one single moment that reminds us that Jesus promised to never forsake us.........Yes, Marble, they are here!

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Good Friday......last night was our Good Friday service here in our beautiful Marble Community Church. There is a woman of God in our community who is suffering with some serious health issues. On a day in which we remember the passion of Christ, she epitomized the way of the cross. God has given her the voice of an angel and she was fortunate enough to be well-trained with her voice as well. Our small choir sang "Lamb of God" by Twila Paris. It was an arrangement that included phrases from "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord." My friend, my God sister sang the verses as a solo.
She was in much pain during the service but when she sang, the church was filled with her voice which could have only originated from Heaven. Her pain was Christ's pain in that from the cross, He knew that this day would come for her. His grace filled her being, allowing her to sing through her pain. And as a result Heaven came down and met us as a congregation at the foot of the cross. As a result there was not a person without tears in the entire church!
There are moments in our lives when we are aware that eternity coexists with our humanity, where the suffering of the cross coexist with grace. Last night was one of those moments for me and I cannot help but be forever humbly grateful that my Lord, Jesus Christ allowed me to share that awareness with my beloved friend and God sister as well as our beloved congregation!