Tomorrow will mark 19 years since my father passed on from this Earth into Eternity and it’s always a day of remembrance & grieving the loss of my mentor, friend & father. Every Dec 8th I wonder how would things have been different in the life of my family, and what he would have thought of our choices, circumstances and accomplishments if he were still with us. Would he have been proud or annoyed, involved or apathetic, supportive or critical through these formative years of his grandchildren and their parents? Only Julia & Lily were alive when he died (I know he waited until they entered his hospital room before he let go) ...and it’s hard when I think that he never met or saw the birth of Bella or Elijah (who looks a lot like my Dad).
Of course, I also struggle how my kids never knew him, his sense of humor and his fatherly love that my brother & I got to experience. The only way they get to know him is through our telling of stories, teachings and experiences. I’ve tried to honor the blessing of a great upbringing by he and my Mom by passing on the best to our children. In doing so, I also found that I have a Father that will never leave me. This revelation came to me in dealing with loss of my Dad. See, in my search of the meaning & results of his death, I discovered the one true God, through His son Jesus Christ, as He taught the sermon on the mount in the Book of Matthew chapter 5. That was a great unexpected gift!
One of my favorite Christmas memories was going out with my Dad and collecting greens and holly then making a wreath to put on our humble home. it took up a quarter of the front side of the house as we had a really small house but always the biggest wreath in the neighborhood! He poured much thought into how that wreath would look and I believe it was his way of honoring our Father in heaven and the gift of His Son Jesus Christ for all of mankind. It brought joy and cheer to all who saw that giant reminder of the crown of thorns our Lord wore when he freed us from captivity and declared that God's promise was completed with Jesus' last human spoken words "it is finished"!
~
