Tag: Jesus

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Christ is Risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The banners above were made in praise to God by my mother. She truly spent all her days praising God. My mind is still trying to wrap itself around the fact that she has died.

As Easter begins tomorrow morning, my lips will be singing along with the choir,

I know that my Redeemer Lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everliving head!

but yet my heart may be saying,

“My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)

I’m reading Psalms tonight. David knows the anguish and despair I’m feeling. But yet he amazes me…the very next psalm, Psalm 23, is the most comforting psalm in the Bible.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)

How can this be? How can David be so distressed in one verse, and then so uplifted in the following verses?

Faith. He had a great faith…a faith that I seem to be lacking.

Some events in the past week have made me think about my mom. I’ve been looking back; remembering; caught up in the past.

This past week was also Holy Week, and so I’ve been preparing for Easter. I’ve been looking forward to celebrating Easter. I’ve been looking toward the Resurrection.

In this journey of grief, I mourn every day that takes me further away from my mother. Every day that passes takes me farther away from the time when my mother was alive.

But what if I look at this passage of time in a new way? Every day that passes is one day closer to when I will see my mother again. My human mind cannot comprehend this; Mom died; she is gone. But with faith, I know I will see her in heaven again.

And so I need to look forward. I need to look to the cross. I need to look forward to the day I will join my Savior in heaven.

Because I know that my Redeemer lives!

Easter blessings to you and your family,

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All Her Days

Mom, faithful reader of my blog, told me once, “You write too much about breast cancer!” I know she would tell me now, “You write too much about my death!”

That may be true, Mom, and you, dear bloggy friends, are on the receiving end of all my angst-ridden posts.

You have been so comforting and supportive as I travel through the grieving process. I hope you continue to bear with me.

My Grandma Emma died before many of her grandchildren were born, but I know for a fact that all of her grandchildren will know her immediately when we see her in heaven. We have heard so many stories about her from our fathers and mothers, our aunts and uncles, that when we, too, are taken to our heavenly home, we will instantly recognize our loving Grandma.

Yes, this sounds way too schmaltzy, but I believe it with all my heart.

And so, another story about Mom, so that Lily and Emmy will recognize their Grandma in heaven.

Mom sang this song to me as a little girl, and I sing it to Emmy every night before bedtime:

Two little eyes to look to God,
Two little ears to hear his Word,
Two little feet to walk His way,
Hands to serve Him all the day.

Mom spent all her days praising God. If I were to write a list of all the ways Mom praised God from day to day, it would be a long, long list.

Last Sunday, I walked up to communion at our church, and burst into tears. Up at the railing, I knelt upon the cushions that Mom designed and helped to needlepoint. They begin with Alpha, and end with Omega. I wish I had pictures to show you the beautiful Bible stories on these cushions.

Mom also designed and made banners to praise God. At her funeral, Dad hung up all the banners she made for their latest church.


Mom shows the fruits of the Spirit on this banner. (Galatians 5:22) The Spirit gave Mom all of these gifts, and I pray that some day, I will receive these gifts as well.