With honor I honor my parents today!

Today is a day of reflection for me. One year ago this morning, I was standing at my Dad's bedside when he took his last breath and went to be with Jesus. It was amazing. I knew at that moment, that my Dad was no longer in his body, but was with the Lord.

At that moment, all the things my mother and dad had taught me about faith and eternity became as real as they could for me here on earth. There are many things I don't have certainty on. Did he see Mother immediately? Did he visit with Jesus right away? Can he see me, today? I love imagining him with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even with little grandchildren that were lost by miscarriage. But, I don't know the full picture of those things. What I do know without any wavering, is that at that moment, my Dad was with the Lord, and still is today!

Empty spaces have been obvious this year. There have been moments when I have wanted to go see Dad, or call him, or to ask my brother how he was. Historical facts of the family can't be answered any longer by someone who lived them. My parent's generation is gone, and by the natural flow of life, we are now the oldest generation living in our family. That overwhelms me.

My prayer is that the legacy we carry on and leave will be one of honor and faith as it was with my parents. I want to be wise and live with an open hand, open heart like they did. My love for the Word is an outpouring of hearing my dad read it. His big farmer hands maneuvered their way through the thin shuffling pages of his Bible and always landed at just the right passage for the moment. The countless chapters and verses he quoted from memory still have a melody in my mind.

Stay-put-ed-ness is the word that is sticking with me this day. Synonyms for my made-up word are contentment and faithfulness. Dad and Mom were rock solid and stable. They exemplified stay-put-ed-ness in the land they farmed, the house they lived in, the marriage they were committed to for 62 years, the church they were leaders in, the friends they walked out life with, the young men they impacted by bringing them into our home, the children they prepared for life, and the grand and great grandchildren they prayed for. My desire is to be content, live with stay-put-ed-ness enough to be solid, yet open and movable enough to impact change. They modeled both.

In memory of my parents and their life, read the words to "Find us Faithful" by Steve Green. I can't find the song to download as I write this, but hopefully you will remember the tune as you read the words below.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way

Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary

Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

Let us run the race not only for the prize

But as those who've gone before us

Let us leave to those behind us

The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

Chorus:

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone

And our children sift though all we've left behind

May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover

Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

Thank you Dad and Mom for the big shoes you leave us to fill! I accept the challenge and hope I will find strength as you did by faith, discipline and love!

I hope His story will go on through me....

You know how once in a while you hear a song and it wraps itself around your whole being and takes you to a place of reflection, challenge and focus? One of those songs that make you say "I would be honored if I knew this song were sung at my funeral." (Hey, this time I at least stopped short of actually planning the whole funeral service and watching my family cry!)

I heard a song I love! I have actually heard the song before, but my loving Father wanted it to make a footprint on my heart at this time. It has. He has once again seen the need of my heart and ministered to it before I even knew of the need. I feel embraced.

I have to tell you it is not just the song, but also the artist. Michael O'Brien's music takes me to a place of romance or worship or laughter and/or tears. It is just good self-care for my heart! Michael's personal testimony is one of transformation....something I pray will continuously happen in my heart.

The song "And the Story Goes On" on Michael's Conviction album has really touched my heart. I can play it 10 times in an hour while driving and singing at the top of my lungs! I put the words here, so you can follow along. Thank you for hearing the music of my heart today.

The Story Goes On
- Michael O’Brien

I heard the tale of a man
With love in his eyes
And hope in his hands
I heard that he showed us the way
And lit up the dark
I heard that His kingdom had come
To mothers and daughters
Fathers and sons
And to all those who followed his voice
He changed every heart
It's not just on pages of history
It's not simply chiseled in stone
It's kept in the depth of the soul

And the story goes on
And it burns like a flame
Through the years and the tears and the trials
The story goes on
And we carry his name
And it echoes across all the miles
We enter this life with a whimper and cry
Sometimes we falter, sometimes we fly
But the ultimate truth we can never deny
And forever the story goes on

To some he was more than their breath
They wouldn't deny him in pain or in death
His name always stayed on their lips
And it's passed down to mine
So I'm following all those before me
And even long after I'm gone
The message of Christ will be heard

And the story goes on
And it burns like a flame
Through the years and the tears and the trials
The story goes on
And we carry his name
And it echoes across all the miles
We enter this life with a whimper and cry
Sometimes we falter, sometimes we fly
But there's an ultimate truth and it never will die
And forever the story goes on

There's hope for the future
There's hope for the lost
There's always a soldier to carry the cross
'Cause the story is true
And the story is changing this world

And the story goes on
And it burns like a flame
Through the years and the tears and the trials
The story goes on
And we carry his name
And it echoes across all the miles
We enter this life with a whimper and cry
Sometimes we falter, sometimes we fly
But there's an ultimate truth and it never will die
And forever the story goes on

I start laughing just thinking about it........

Why do I get tickled and start giggling when I read and reread this note on facebook from Judy:

"We just got your plane tickets from Phuket to Bangkok and then the train tickets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Do you want to sleep on the top or bottom on the train? "

If you know us at all....Judy and I on bunk beds on a train at nighttime?? I wonder: "what do they do with silly adults on sleeping cars on trains in Thailand?" Stay tuned..........

Travel with us...........

I have debated over and over about having a blog. I enjoy reading other people's blogs, but I'm afraid that I will not have the time to keep one updated. However, since Kyle and I will be traveling to Thailand this summer, I want to record my thoughts and experiences. I also want our family and friends to be able to keep up with us while we are gone. This trip is a long-time dream of ours. Our kids are in homes and families of their own, and one of the things we said we always wanted to do is travel when we were at this stage of our life. The first place we wanted to go was to Thailand to be with my cousin, Judy and her husband, Mike.

We leave one month from tomorrow!


Run around with us as we get the right shoes (yep, had to have my first pair of Keens), vaccinations, and clothes. Board the flight with us. We are amateurs at this...we've never flown more than four hours. Twenty-three sounds a little daunting. Share our excitement, get jittery with us and remind us to close our mouths when we find ourselves gaping at new sights, smells and sounds. We'll enjoy the whole experience more, knowing you are along.

Keep your candle burning...