Our Creator is our Curator Ephesians 2:10 Psalm 139:13-16 #grief #griefjourney #griefandloss #hope #heaven #story #heartbreak #healing #nature #widow #widower

Tomorrow will be four years since my beloved Sunny went home to be with Jesus. There were three wonderful years between the time the twins were born and Sunny was diagnosed with brain cancer. Every video I have of her from that time is priceless. I wish there were more (Sunny was usually the one behind the camera). Each clip reminds me of how much I miss her laugh and how much joy she brought to each day. There was rarely a day without laughter. Her joy bubbled up naturally, on good days and bad. The kids smiled because she smiled. The joy of the Lord was truly the secret to her strength. More than anything, Sunny wanted to be a Mom. She LOVED motherhood. And she was the most fun mom around. She even managed to make the mundane enjoyable. Her shoes are impossible to fill and my heart aches at my inadequacy and makes me miss her presence all the more. She would be having the time of her life right now. Every year we had together was a gift. And the older Stephen & Grace get the more Mom shines through. They are full of her joy and laughter. The joy of the Lord is their strength too. I can hardly believe God was so good to bring Sunny into my life. It’s impossible not to miss someone like her. I don’t understand but I’m grateful. I don’t know why but I trust. There is a greater plan unfolding that I can’t see. And I feel honored to be a part. It may feel like forever, but our time on earth is but a fraction of the eternity we’ll spend with Jesus. Sunny is where she always longed to be: in the presence of her Savior, cheering us on, smiling and saving a space for us. ☀️ Nehemiah 8:10 #grief #griefjourney #death #cancer #heaven #sorrow #joy #peace #hope #widow #widower

Ask me what time the sun is setting and I can probably tell you...down to the minute. I sort of plan my day around it. As the daylight hours grow and winter leads to spring and then to summer I am excited to watch the sun march northward across the horizon. Who knows how many more sunsets l'll get to see? And since no two are the same, I don't want to miss a single one. ☀️ "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone." Revelation 21:1 ”And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭23‬ #grief #griefjourney #sun #sunset #light #hope #peace #heaven #wintersolstice #widow #widower

I’ll never forget that day. It was like our shared history together vanished. And I was crushed. Yet Sunny was still herself… just innocent and disoriented. With one foot in our present world and one in the next. Time was no longer a constraint. Death was undone. Her loved ones were alive. All life’s disappointments forgotten. But God’s Word was not. God’s promises still lived in her memory and her soul. And they assured me God would use our pain for His purpose. There was nothing to fear. #grief #griefjourney #griefandloss #cancer #hope #sorrow #joy #peace #widow #widower

It was like looking at both a sun and a shield 🤯 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭11‬ ‭ “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬ ‭ #grief #griefjourney #eclipse #solareclipse #sun #cloud #sky #prace #hope #joy #widow #widower