Weekend Review - A Gentle Goodby

A while back I asked you to pray for a friend who was losing his battle with Cancer. I thank you all for those prayers as we all felt the comforting hand of God as He wrapped His arms around our friend.  A 2- 1/2 year battle with cancer ended with his Graduation to Glory on Sunday Morning. While we were in church worshiping the Lord in Spirit, he got to worship the Lord face to face. As we looked up at the sky, we saw the underside of gray clouds while he saw the top side of the beautiful quilt of love that covered our little city.  I know he heard "Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant. Welcome Home." He has a new body without faults and is sitting with our Father and all those who have gone on before him. I wonder what the conversation is between him and Moses!

His wife stayed by his side the entire time showing him and us that the vows they took so many years before, in 1981, still meant something. Her strong example to all of us showed us how a Christian wife stays strong in the face of death.  I've heard it said more than once, that we don't know how to die; that there are no handbooks for that. I disagree, we have the Lord's example on the cross and we have the example of Darby and Duane Coss.  As they faced death, they stayed strong, even smiling at stories. She took care of his needs and stayed with him until the end.

We will miss his humor, his love to us all and his hugs. We know he is in a better place but we hurt for his wife, adult daughters and grandson. They now have to find a way to live life without this strong, Godly man in their lives.  We know we will meet again. We know that he is smiling. We know that God is good. We know that we hurt right now and we know that it's OK to hurt.

Thank you all for your kindness and your prayers.