A beautiful goodbye and big Kleenex day

We are not sleeping well at night. I waken around 5:30 and can’t go back to sleep while Evelyn can’t go to sleep for a couple of hours after retiring. Regardless, We got up and walked the lake. We came back, cleaned up, laid out funeral clothes and went to work at the Open Door. I thought we would have to leave earlier but got many things cleaned before we came home to change clothes. We went to church, taking our memorial Bible gift and were seated in plenty of time. As we waited for the service to begin, we both cried tears of joy as we looked at the crucifix in front of the church. We were assured that Nan knew the forgiveness from His sacrifice. The service was one of the most moving we have ever attended. It was different from some Lutheran services in that the deceased was mentioned while maintaining the emphasis on Christ. The pastor also emphasized the power of Holy Baptism in our lives. It was truly inspirational to know that while we will be in the casket someday, we too will be taken into the arms of Jesus. The OT lesson was great from Isaiah 25:6-9, describing the great banquet God is preparing for those of us who accept His forgiveness. We stayed to help with the dinner after but weren’t needed. I got to talk briefly with Phil, the widower, about his future, wanting him to know that we would be praying for him and welcoming him to visit in Texas. We came home to rest and dress for the dance. We went to Phil’s on the way to get the pan we had taken the breakfast casserole in. We enjoyed the dance and spent time with the Perrys who went to the play with us. We came home, prepared plans for tomorrow morning and went to bed.