Greetings from Howe, Texas

Happy Tuesday!

Today Dad and I met with the pastor of Dad’s church to talk about the service. One of the dear members of this small town community was leaving the parking lot as we drove in and came back to see us. She spoke of how devastated she was over Mom’s passing. I feel sure there will be others who will express similar feelings as the week progresses. The obituary was sent to the funeral home this morning and will be in the Herald Democrat for posting tomorrow. If you saw the picture on the journal last night it completely captured my Mom with her beautiful smile and her “glad to be here” countenance. While taking care of the business at the funeral home, we picked up Mom’s ashes. I was not sure how Daddy would handle this so I sort of collected them and carried them for him until he was ready to take them. We went to lunch in Sherman and made a couple of stops. We stopped at Maxine’s, Mom’s hairdresser, where I made an appointment for Thursday for me. She just cried and cried because other than Dad, she was the last one to see her before her passing and Maxine loved her very much. Then we went to LaChelle’s, Mom’s nail lady, and made an appointment for my nails on Thursday also.

Daddy decided that he wanted pictures of Mom and the family to surround him. So down came the year-round Nativity scene on the mantle and up went all of the framed pictures we could find. I consider this a wonderful start to whatever Daddy’s new normal is. Now he can look up from his chair and see Mom anytime he wants. I have spent most of the rest of the evening crafting the celebration service for Sunday. The only pieces left to put into place are the congregational songs. The pianist, organist and band have been contacted. I would ask you to pray for this service that God will be glorified in the Word spoken, prayed and sung.

Prayer: O Lord, open our eyes to Your Word and help us to see You more clearly in every circumstance. Amen.”

Hebrews 13: 5 “God has said, “Never will I leave You, never will I forsake you.”

What perfect words for our family tonight. Daddy has said many times in the last few days since Mom’s passing that this is hard, but next week will be harder. I have been here all week and will stay until Monday morning. Ken and Sheena will be here in a couple of days, all of our kids, extended family and friends are close by. But next week Daddy knows that he will be by himself and he knows how much he really misses Mom.

But here is the thing, according to the scripture, God’s Holy Word, “He will never leave us…” Daddy may be by himself but He will never be alone. God’s Word is more than just words. These are words of hope and empowering faith. The sadness Daddy and all of us will feel will not vanish for a long time, but if we focus on Christ and His promise to always be with us especially in the moments of the 4’ 10” sadness we are all feeling, then some of the sting of this loss will lose its edge. There is more to this healing than just reading and claiming the scriptures. We have to surround ourselves with His Word and keep them as a sign of God’s continuous presence.

One time when Casey was receiving treatment for cancer, a cousin of mine called me and said “Gaylene, one time one of my kids was sick and nothing we were doing seemed to help. So I prayed Psalm 23 over her as medicine.” My cousin claimed God’s Word as more than just words and asked that the Word of God be put into action. So I am praying the psalms (they were Mom’s favorite passages) as medicine over Daddy and all of us when we are so sad. And truthfully, Mom would not be happy with us because she is with Casey, and together, they will just keep the party going! (I love that!)

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and carry an umbrella. Pray travel mercy for Bruce as he travels to Howe tomorrow. Count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.