I received this very precious gift the other day...a picture I had not seen before, taken by a sweet friend. It may be the only one I have that shows William in his shirt in full. It's the only one I've come across anyway. I sure do miss that sweet and ornery grin!
Wallace, Calvin, and I sanded and repainted William's bike over last weekend. It has been sitting outside since he left it. I haven't had the heart to move it. It was beginning to rust and it bothered me. He loved to ride that bike. He couldn't really pedal it, but he could scoot it along. He loved to have Adelina or Titus in the crate and he loved to have someone get behind it and push!
Anyway, I decided we should paint it. Then, I filled the crate with soil and flowers and placed it out under the tree that stands over his grave. It was nice to get it done. The day after I planted the flowers, a lone gardenia bloomed. It smells so sweet over there!
Today I noticed that the Sweet William plants are blooming!
We are developing a new normal. It is strange. I find myself drifting along. But I am trying. Trying to live. Trying to find joy. Trying to run the race that the Lord has set before me. Trying to finish well.
A sweet friend sent me this song this week. It was such an encouragement! Thank you, dear friend. And thank you for your constant prayers. When I wonder if I'll make it to "the other side," I feel assured that I will...because of Christ's love and the faithfulness of dear friends who are interceding on my behalf.
Lyrics:
On the other side the sun always shines
No minutes, no hour, there's no such thing as time
Where the streets are paved with gold
And you never grow old on the other side
On the other side everybody sings
There's miles and miles of flowers and lots of pretty things
Where the sky's pearly blue and everything looks brand new
On the other side
Well I've never been to heaven
I didn't know what it was like
But God let me have a glimpse
In my dream last night
And I could see you smiling
You were looking right at me
For the first time in a long time
On your face I saw some peace
I knew everything
Was going to be all right
On the other side
On the other side
On the other side, do you ever see me cry?
Do you know how much I miss you?
Wish I could have said goodbye
Just one more I love you
Oh, am I really getting through on the other side?
Well I've never been to heaven
I didn't know what it was like
But God let me have a glimpse
In my dream last night
And I could hear you laughing
You were looking right at me
For the first time in a long time
On your face I saw some peace
I knew everything was going to be all right
No more tears and no more sad good byes
On the other side
On the other side
I'll see you on the other side
