Monday, August 16, 2010
Vigil
Last night I sat down to write, but there were so many details swirling in my head from the weekend, I just couldn't sort them out into words, sentences and paragraphs. Now they seem unimportant anyway. It's 5:00 a.m. I'm heading over to the folks'. Bill thinks Dad just has a few hours before he flies away to Jesus. Praying for God's mercy and grace.
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Praying for you and your family this morning.
ReplyDeletePraying for a smooth flight for Bill. And for the whole family -- comfort and peace. Love you all.
ReplyDeleteI love you and your mom and dad. I'm praying.
ReplyDeleteJust got the call from Bill. I'm so very sad, even though I know Dad is with Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI got out "The Silver Chair" (I always seem to turn to Narnia when I'm sad) and read the end.
"Then they saw that they were once more on the Mountain of Aslan, high up above and beyond the end of that world in which Narnia lies. But the strange thing was that the funeral music for King Caspian still went on, though no one could tell where it came from. They were walking beside the stream and the Lion went before them and he became so beautiful, and the music so despairing, that Jill did not know which of them it was that filled her eyes with tears.
Then Aslan stopped, and the children looked into the stream. And there, on the golden gravel of the bed of the stream, lay King Caspian, dead, with water flowing over him like liquid glass. His long white beard swayed in it like water-weed. And all three stood and wept. Even the Lion wept: great Lion-tears, each tear more precious than the Earth would be if it was a single solid diamond. And Jill noticed that Eustace looked neither like a child crying, nor like a boy crying and wanting to hide it, but like a grown-up crying. At least, that is the nearest she could get to it; but really, as she said, people don't seem to have any particular ages on that mountain.
"Son of Adam," said Aslan, "go into that thicket and pluck the thorn that you will find there, and bring it to me."
Eustace obeyed. The thorn was a foot long and sharp as a rapier.
"Drive it into my paw, Son of Adam," said Aslan, holding up his right fore-paw and spreading out the great pad toward Eustace.
"Must I?" said Eustace.
"Yes," said Aslan.
Then Eustace set his teeth and drove the thorn into the Lion's pad. And there came out a great drop of blood, redder than all redness that you have ever seen or imagined. And it splashed into the stream over the dead body of the King. At the same moment the doleful music stopped. And the dead King began to be changed. His white beard turned to gray, and from gray to yellow, and got shorter and vanished altogether, and his sunken cheeks grew round and fresh, and the wrinkles were smoothed, and his eyes opened, and his eyes and lips both laughed, and suddenly he leaped up and stood before them-a very young man, or a boy. (But Jill couldn't say which, because of people having no particular ages in Aslan's country. Even in this world, of course, it is the stupidest children who are the most childish and the stupidest grown-ups who are the most grown-up.) And he rushed to Aslan and flung his arms as far as they would go round the huge neck; and he gave Aslan the strong kisses of a King, and Aslan gave him the wild kisses of a Lion.
Give Aslan lots of hugs and kisses, Dad!
Love you, Gwen. Praying for you and your precious family. *hugs*
ReplyDeleteNo words. Just prayers for strength and comfort for you all.
ReplyDeleteMy sweet friend. I'm holding you up to Jesus. ((((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteLove you, Gwen! Many prayers!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry Gwen. Love you.
ReplyDeleteGwen, I'm so sorry. Praying for you here.
ReplyDeleteGwen, Our prayers and sympathy are with you and the rest of the family at this time. I don't think Dad was ever particularly stuck on horses, but on hearing of his death this AM, I thought of what CSL's unicorn, Jewel, said when she finally took the step through the dreaded "dark door" in "The Last Battle":
ReplyDelete"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in !"
Dad was a father to me in ways that I needed at that time when I got to know him in the late 70's and early 80's. One thing that impressed me was his dignity in all sorts of situations, an unflappable calmness. So it is going to take some getting used to, but the image of Dad kicking up his heels with Jewel--and David and Jesus--is dancing through my mind right now.
Verses 17 and 18 from Psalm 34 also speak to me. 17 is for Dad, and 18 for the rest of us:
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
I'm so sorry for this time of loss and sorrow. Praying.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a long, hard road, Gwen. Praying for you and your family, dear one.
ReplyDeletePraying for you all Gwen!!! (((hugs))) I'm so sorry for your loss....
ReplyDeleteI love you, friend. Praying for your hurting hearts...
ReplyDeleteHugs to you, Gwen! Praying for you...
ReplyDeleteA hug to you during this sad time and also rejoicing with you that your dad is home with Jesus with a whole body that is pain free. tracy
ReplyDeletePraying for your family. I know you have peace but I know you will miss him.
ReplyDeleteOh, Gwen.... I'm thinking about you through this very difficult time. You are a good daughter.
ReplyDelete