Let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him. (Oswalt Chambers)

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Good Things

** A pictureless, personal blog post. **

I have personal rules about what I will and will not blog about. Most of the past three months falls in the latter category. It was a time of stress, confusion, and horror as we lived through the rapid decline and death of Mom.

As life begins to return to normal (if leaving for a four week trip out west can be counted as normal) I want to take a few minutes and list some of the good things that happened during that time period.

Brother Dave and I got to know each other very well. He is a kind, caring man who spent Mom's last month with her while ignoring his business in Oregon. We gathered information and made life and death decisions together. We meditated and prayed together, each respecting the other's spiritual beliefs. We talked for hours and hours, and realized that we like each other very much.

Husband Jay was my earthly rock. He did all the grocery shopping and ran mundane errands so I didn't need to be concerned about having food or whatever else I needed. He cooked some great comfort food. Twice he did all my laundry. ALL of it. He let me talk about things he didn't want to hear about, and he let me cry in his arms. When we had wintery roads, he gave his 4WD Explorer keys to brother Dave and insisted we take it. And he prayed for us.

The strength of the Lord carried me through. I could not have done this without my faith, my Bible, and the prayers of my friends.

After five years, I am now able to visit son John, daughter-in-law Anne, and granddaughter Sydney in Idaho. I am caretaker to no one and dogless. It feels new and strange and I'm still adjusting to the situation. Next Tuesday I leave for Oregon to spend spring break with my Idaho family, then fly to Phoenix to meet Jay and spend some time with his family. Jay is driving us back to Michigan via the Grand Canyon and several other national parks. We're going to do some furniture shopping in Illinois and be home whenever we get there - very strange indeed!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I celebrate the path ahead of you! Thanks for sharing so eloquently. I love you my friend. Love, Barb

Marie said...

It fills me with happiness to read of your wonderful future, and I admire the way you handle the journey with such grace. Have a great trip!

Shirliann said...

You brought tears to my eyes. I am so happy to hear how you have found the love of your life and that you and Dave have become so close with the passing of our beloved Margarete. Safe trip to you and yours.

Anonymous said...

Safe trip, your past trip was not an easy one but so glad you all the love and support. Enjoy your trip, relax, refresh and renew.

Barbara

Anonymous said...

I was in tears reading your beautiful column. Life is very hard and every minute is a gift. Enjoy every minute of your life and a love one lost is always in our heart. Enjoy your beautiful new life.

Judy S. said...

So sorry to hear about your mom's passing but glad you were able to be with her during her final days. Hugs to you and best wishes for a great trip with Jay.