After the storm...

The sun is shining. The birds are singing. Blue sky dotted with billowy white clouds. The first of my storm clouds have passed with less threatening ones on the horizon. Bittersweet peace protects my heart and mind as I survey the aftermath.

Much has happened in the past month. Much of my anxious waiting has passed with it.

On June 7th, I received the call from my mom. My brother passed after she and my sister-in-law tended to his needs. We made the 950-mile trek "home" to be with my family and attend his funeral on the 10th.

After the funeral, my husband drove the 6 miles to be with his dying brother...he passed just before midnight. We laid him in the grave the following Saturday.

Between traveling to the two funerals of their uncles, my two  sons, one in south-central Kansas and the other in central Iowa, packed their homes for job relocations. Literally, the one from Iowa drove a U-haul truck to the second one.

In two weeks time, four major prayers were answered. I have been on my knees constantly seeking God's will for our brothers and our sons...weeping and pleading on their behalf. And now, like King David after the death of his infant child, I must rise from my prayer position, clean myself up, and worship the LORD.

Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.

David’s servants said to him, “Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you fasted and you cried. Now that the baby is dead, you get up and eat food.”

David said, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’ But now that the baby is dead, why should I fast? I can’t bring him back to life. Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.” 2 Samuel 12:20-23 ncv

My life moves on. I continue to pray for the families of our brothers and the directions for our sons. I continue to pray for our daily needs and those of pending decisions in our lives. And I continue to trust, obey, and wait on the LORD.

[Thank you to all who have prayed for me and my family these past few months. Through them, God gave me/us the strength to endure.]