Sad things and Happy things

I apologize to my faithful readers for not posting the last few days. They've been rough. Reading back through my posts I thought, I had a quiet Tuesday? Was it that recently? Tuesday evening splitcat told me that the mother of some old friends was not expected to live out the week. She had been sick for a couple of years, but I always prefer to hope for a miracle. I found out on Wednesday that she passed away Tuesday night. Today my mother and I attended the funeral. Yesterday, I cried alot as all the things I hadn't wanted to think about came crowding in at once. I didn't know what to expect today. This woman meant a lot to many people. I spent countless Sunday afternoons as a teenager at her house spending time with her beautiful daughters. And I was not the only one. Their home has always been open to all. I saw my first meteor shower on their trampoline. I was friends with the two eldest daughters. We would play dress up and walk in the woods singing hymns, and sometimes play on the computer. Time and distance have separated us, but whenever we meet there is friendship.

When I read Proverbs 31 she is the woman I think of. I was not surprised when her husband opened the service with this scripture. Each of her five children spoke, and one son-in-law represented the five in-laws. Their genuine love and respect and appreciation of their mother was very evident. The church was filled. Her 18 grandchildren sang about the Lord. There was much music. She was always singing or playing or listening to music when I was at their home. It was the one place where no one made fun of me for liking opera. They listened right along with me. It was a beautiful service for a beautiful life.

The strangest thing was seeing all my friends from youth group. They were all there. My roommate from college is very close with the second daughter and was there. This was the happy thing, seeing old friends. We all looked much the same, perhaps a little puffier around the edges(some of us a lot puffier around the middle :)) The guys I hung around with, and the one I went on my first date with, who rocked their way through high school, still have a heavy metal band. I got a demo cd, and I can't wait to listen to it. It was good to see everyone. They were all part of the best part of my teen years. I was afraid it would be depressing to see how old we all are, but it was good to see that we were all very much the same people as we were then. As I often struggle with my own identity, I remembered who I was then and wondered who I have become. Am I that same girl? Am I the woman I thought I would be? Am I the woman God wants me to be.

The son-in-law read a scripture that he felt was given to him just prior to the service. When he read it, I knew that it was for me. It was the same scripture the Lord had given me many years ago for my life. "Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16. Amplified. Another version says stand at the crossroads and look. I am at a place of many crossroads. And I am glad of the reminder that I have help in choosing which path I take.

I will not say Rest In Peace, because I have a feeling she is singing and dancing for the joy of being with Jesus.