The last writing was one month ago already! Christmas went smoothly and I was able to have several adventures. Tom and I would travel out of town every Christmas since we always celebrated early with our children and grandchildren. We did this since our kids were small. It seemed we always had parents or others who wanted a visit then so we just made a habit of traveling around the Christmas holiday. The only Christmas I was in town here for the last 39 years was last year when we came back from Stanford and Tom was too sick to go away. I decided I needed to think of something to do so I booked a flight to Chicago where my youngest sister lives and visited her and her family for Christmas and New Year. First I drove to Tricia, my foster daughter, and spent the weekend with her and her husband. We celebrated Christmas and then they brought me to the airport and off I went. LA airport had a lot of memories for me so it was a little rough waiting for the plane. The flight was smooth and I made it to Chicago in great time. The weather there was perfect for this warm weather girl and my clothes were plenty warm. My sister and her husband have moved so often that Tom and I had never visited this home. It made it a whole new experience for me to work on new memories. All the ten days I was gone was filled with joy and love. Even the road trip did not make me too sad which I was thankful for and pleased about. Tom and I had traveled that road more times than I can count. To tell the truth I felt God's comfort in a special way on the road which was so needed - tears don't work well when one is driving. The traffic was normal for southern California so one must always be on ones toes and alert.
Here I am 3 months under my belt and it is still plenty difficult not to feel pain everyday. God is very good in giving me so many reminders of His love though. One thing is always before me and that is the hope of heaven. I love thinking about what my sweet man is up to and can't wait to see him again! This doesn't mean I am longing for death, instead it is like the verses in I Thessalonians 4:13 -18 which say, "Brothers (and sisters) we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep (we say die) or to grieve like the rest of people, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." That's what I am excited for!
In the meantime I really want to live like this one woman I read about in a book called "Glimpses of Heaven" which was written by a Hospice nurse. This was a little story about her mother. "When Dad died in 1973 Mom was only 65 years old and had many very productive years ahead of her, during which time she traveled extensively and worked for the church in one capacity or another well into her 80's. She read her cherished books, taught herself to play more than 150 songs on the organ and loved her children and grandchildren dearly. She was fun, disciplined, tender, pretty, strongly determined, opinionated, ever prayerful, dependent on love, and she touched everyone she met with both her humanity and her deeply spiritual soul." I can identify with a lot of it, but most of all the fact that I am 66 and know I am healthy and could live a few more years. My prayer is I am an example to others in godliness and make the most of whatever time God gives me to bring Him glory.
The other night I had the joy of being able to have 5 of my grandchildren spend the night, ages 5 to 12. I love to hear their insights and listen to new songs or verses they are learning. Three of them are learning the book of Revelation through song which they sang for us. Another sang all the books of the New Testament. What a great way to learn difficult names and verses. This opened up a discussion on heaven since the book of Revelation is a story of John, a disciple of Jesus, seeing heaven. I love their thoughts! One asked, "Do you think we can do anything we want in heaven?" Another answered, "Well I don't think we will be able to smoke." Ha Ha pretty funny I thought but pretty perceptive too. Another question one had was, "Do you think heaven will be boring?" The answer from another child, "Well I think God made all the things we get to do now and surely heaven will be even better!" Needless to say I was pretty proud of their thoughts! From the mouth of babes as they say!
So I close these thoughts and I hope you have questions of heaven and go find the answers at your church in worship and spending time alone with God in His Word! That is how I handle my life with the overwhelming loss I have and I can say from experience it is so comforting!
I know I'm expected in heaven...................
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