“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Romans 12:15
Unlike many American families, my siblings are spread across
the country and my extended family as well.
We can go months and even years before a family gathering happens. So the past month has been unusual. For the past three weekends, I have been with
extended family.
Joy.
Three weekends ago, my brother got married in her
church in Maine. Many people came from nearby and a few from far away. I had the privilege of traveling
with my parents back to Maine, where my heart still is. My dad officiated.
It was a day of great joy as Steven, who has
been looking for his match for many years, found it in a beautiful woman in
Maine. She is tall, athletic,
intelligent, and a woman of great character who loves the Lord deeply.
Many of her friends and relatives were there
to celebrate with her and her family. Several
of my siblings were there as well as one cousin who drove in from New
Hampshire. Some of my friends are also Tara’s friends, so I was able to
reconnect with them as well.
More joy.
The following
weekend our family gathered in Georgia to celebrate my parents’ 90th
birthdays. Dad is six days older than
Mom, so both of their birthdays happen later this month. In order to make it easier for people to
attend, we decided to hold the celebration on the Saturday before Labor
Day. Invitations were sent out a while
ago. Their church offered to provide the
meeting space, the food, and the flowers. 
All of us took part in making it a success. My older sister decorated. My younger sister provided the desserts. The brothers sang. (My youngest brother, who is a missionary in Japan, was unable to make it, so Charlie provided the fourth voice in the quartet.)
We also read through a
timeline of each of their lives. For each of them, it was a demonstration of God's grace and their faith in that great God.
More than one hundred people
attended. Two of Dad’s siblings came up
from Florida. Some of their nieces and
nephews came from as far as California.
A granddaughter came from Kuwait and a grandson from England. Many of their church came as well as former
colleagues from AMG. It was a great day
for us to celebrate lives that have been lived by faith in a great God.
The following day, Steven and
Tara held a reception for those who were not able to attend the wedding. They played a video of the ceremony and we
ate lunch together. Steven shared some
precious words about his bride. Again,
it was a day of great joy.
Sorrow.
This weekend my
parents and I traveled to Florida to spend some time with my dad’s family. My youngest uncle, Uncle David, was dying of
cancer, and we wanted to see him before he died while he could still talk with
us. We drove down on Saturday and spent
the night with another uncle.
On Sunday we went to church where my cousin’s husband pastors and they
invited us to their house for lunch along with a bunch of others.
It was after 2:00 when we left my
cousin’s home. I called Aunt Edna to ask if it was a good time to come. She warned us
that he was now sleeping a lot. When we walked in, we hugged her and began talking with her in quiet voices, while Uncle
David lay in a hospital bed there in the living room. I hoped that he would awaken so that we could
at least talk with him a little, but he continued to lie there. After a while I got up to stand by his
bed. He was quiet, almost too quiet. We asked her about that.
“He’s been like that for a couple
days now,” she said. "He wakes up long enough to drink a little and then goes back to sleep."
After a while Dad said it was time to leave. Mom and I got
up and went to the hospital bed once more and stood on either side. He had not moved at all since we had
arrived. I reached out and touched
him. He was cold to the touch. Mom and I both looked for a pulse. There was none. Aunt Edna came over and touched him too and
agreed. He was gone. He had evidently slipped quietly away while we were there.
Joy in glory for him. Sorrow for us who remain. Dad came over and prayed. Tears fell. We will miss this great man who touched all of our lives in great ways.
Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of knowing and loving him.
