Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: In-Law(s) (05/08/08)
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TITLE: Counting Joy not Sorrow | Previous Challenge Entry
By Wanda Draus
05/15/08 -
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I wrestled with myself and then made my case before the Lord. I knew the Lord would see my discomfort, would see how I could not possibly do this. No peace came, the Lord made His case to me. I put pen to paper and tried to sum up a beautiful woman’s life in five minutes.
The morning of the funeral I employed two friends to pray for me. I really didn’t think I could climb the stairs leading to the pulpit and say all that was on my heart. We sang on Eagles Wings and her niece did a beautiful reading from the gospel, then it was time for me. My heart was racing. I slowly rose asking the Holy Spirit to at least let my legs move. As I walked into the aisle and up the stairs, a feeling as I never had before came over me, a feeling of calmness and peacefulness. As I stood behind the oak podium I knew someone else was speaking through me, and I began;
“Dearest Geri, mom, and friend,
I know I speak for Bruce, John, and myself that we were blessed to have known you and honored to have had you for our mother-in-law.
Geri was a woman of great courage, inspiration, and fun. She lost her mom at the tender age of ten. In 1966, she buried her newborn baby and her father. In 1991, she buried the love of her life, her husband Andy. Even with all her heartaches and all her health issues she never blamed God. Just the opposite, her faith grew stronger. She counted her joys not her sorrows.
Just as a new mother cannot remember the pain and sufferings she bore when she looks into the face of her newborn baby, I know it is the same for believers. The suffering, the pain will not be remembered when we look into the face of Jesus.
Though she suffered so much physically, she never let her challenges stop her from enjoying all the good times we have had as a family; especially all those family vacations. I remember, what would be our last family vacation; Geri kept telling the doctors that she had to get out of the hospital. The doctors finally agreed to let her go and fourteen of us were off to hear Kenny Chesney in concert. She was having a great time and always the trooper, until the last day. By the time we arrived home we took Geri straight from the airport to the emergency room. As they were putting the oxygen mask on her face, she looked at us, removed the mask, and whispered, “we made it and gave us a “thumbs up.” Then put her mask back on.
Her courage goes unmatched. She faced every painful operation, every painful hospital stay, every painful rehab center, with determination and grace. She would always say, “God will get you through. You have to just keep praying and loving God and He will take you through everything.” To know Geri is to know she loved Jesus with her whole heart.
She was the master link of our family chain. Though she is not physically with us today that chain will never be broken, her spirit, her joy for life is the example she gave us to go on and live our lives for Jesus.
Recently, we were sitting at her kitchen table; she knew her time was close. She said “you know what I miss most in life?” I took her hand in mine and she whispered, “I miss Andy and dancing,” she was quite the polka queen in her day. One of her favorite songs was, “Let Me call you Sweetheart.”
On this day we can have a happy heart knowing that she is counting new joys and there are no more sorrows. She is with Jesus whom she loves so much and she is dancing with Andy to let me call you sweetheart.”
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