I just got news by email that my great ant Lois just passed away. I'm currently teaching in Japan and far away from all of our family back home in the States. Which makes this really hard. She was like another grandmother to me and had such spunk for a woman in her late nineties. She was always well dressed and had an amazing aura about her. She had fantastic stories and memories tying back to the old family farm and was such a great part of its history - right down to skinny dipping in the pond. She'd always say "Oh, kid, when I was your age..." and she'd always offer us a soda whenever we came to visit. When I was a senior in high school, I even used her as a subject in a paper once - got a pretty good grade on it too.
My favorite memories are those of every Christmas Eve after church, my family would go to carol her. It meant so much to her and really made her Christmas, which in turn, really made mine. She would praise my brothers and I so much for our voices. My great aunt knew that she was getting weaker by the year and had been so looking forward to joining the Lord. She was God-loving and fearing enjoying visits from the pastor and christian radio when it was no longer easy for her to make to church regularly. I am happy that she is with Him and that her spunky spirit can really shine without any pain or weariness, but I am going to miss her and sad that I can not be home right now. The worst of it is that she wanted so badly for me to sing at her funeral, and I'm half a world away. I'm going to attempt to record my voice here, but have really very limited equipment - just my computer really.
It's difficult doing this dance of coping, mourning, and celebrating so far away from home. It's difficult to even think it real. I want to thank you for reading this lengthy message from a stranger for the process of writing this note brought out some much needed and very real tears. I thank the Lord so much that she was here, part of my family and life. I thank Him that she lived so fully. I ask that she receive a great, big, wild, heavenly welcoming party. And I ask for comfort and help for all those who will miss her, myself included. With all my love, amen.
Thanks for listening and any prayers from you are greatly, greatly welcome.
Jmae, what a beautiful tribute to your great aunt. It sounds like she was a very special lady.
While I know you are rejoicing that she is home with our awesome God and that you will see her again someday, I know that loss is always difficult. Be gentle with yourself, stay close to Jesus, and know that my thoughts and prayers are w/ you during this time.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer" (2 Corinthians 1:3-6).
