Well looking back I see it has already been more than a month since I've wrote anything on this blog.... maybe that's a good thing as I think God has given me a load of peace and strength in the last month.
John had planned a trip to Branson, MO to take me on for my birthday. A timeshare was reserved for us which was fully paid and when John became ill he told me - "Vera take that trip if you can find a friend to go with you if I'm no longer here." It was not a thing I thought I could make happen and almost jokingly said to my foster daughter, Tricia, "Want to go to Branson, MO with me?" I was shocked when she said, "SURE! I'd love to go!" Her husband Steve was wonderful and let his wife go with me for a whole week! We had a blast seeing wonderful music shows and an amazing production of the story of Moses! My favorite thing - Tricia's idea I would have never considered it - was zip lining! At first it was the scariest thing I'd ever done but by the time we finished I was ready to go again! Though it was Tricia's idea, she said once was enough for her. Smile.
It does take a lot of trust to zip line and jump off a tiny platform without knowing if that itty bitty line over your head will hold you up as you swing 30 feet in the air over tree tops to the next platform! The first jump made me shake like a leaf but each swing became more fun!
I believe that walking with God and trusting Him with ALL your life is a similar situation and can be frightening sometimes. God has been so good to me in giving me an incredible amount of comfort. I can say I often feel sadness and have tears because I still miss John but I am not lonely. There is too much love all around me (not to mention God's precious enfolding arms) which gives me a lot of joy and peace. Another reason I don't feel lonely is I have several sweet girlfriends who have lost husbands as well and we can relate feelings and have friendship. One in particular is a friend named Pat who told me about a wonderful book called "The Undistracted Widow" by Carol W. Cornish. We are having a sort of book club going through it together. It has been such a great guide to helping me see that God has called me to this place and I need to learn to embrace it. That seems a little heavy but as I ponder that it gives me a great deal of assurance and comfort.
Finally to close I just want to say wherever God has called you to walk right now lean on His word and God's people to receive His assurance of salvation through Jesus who died for us and freely offers eternal life.
"We are in a battle because the Christian life is war. We know the outcome and we will triumph over our enemies through Christ. Let's take seriously Paul's exhortation to Timothy and consider it our own: "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12) A thought from the book "The Undistracted Widow".
Expecting heaven in the end..................
