4 Years Later

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 & 14 (New Living Translation)

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

John 11:25 (New Living Translation)

It is hard to believe that 4 years have passed since Greg's homegoing. Not a day passes but he is dearly missed, however days like today which mark a specific point in time make us stop and reflect upon God's promises and the Living Hope we have in Christ even in the midst of our sorrows.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...I Peter 1:3 (NIV)

In the midst of remembering, we still praise God for the many promises in His Word. If not for these, our sadness would give way to despair. We know that Greg is with God, and he is experiencing joy beyond description. We know that even now he is able to look in his Savior's face and worship Him.

While we remain here, we press on toward that same goal...to run the race set before us, to seek to be faithful in the midst of difficulty, and to lean fully on God for our strength in the impossible times. Someday we, too will join in the heavenly chorus with Greg, praising God together for all of eternity!

Thank you for your prayers, support, and love.

Christmas 2006

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.'" Matthew 1:23 (New Living Translation)

What an incredible gift we celebrate each Christmas...the birth of God's own son...God himself, come to earth to redeem us. Just as this verse gave hope and promise to prophets thousands of years ago, it is the source of our hope today. God indeed is with us!

Christmas 2006 seemed to be over just as soon as it began! In the midst of the flury of activities and special concerts we were able to spend time with both extended families as well as celebrate Christmas as just the three of us. As you can see in the picture, Steve had no problem relaxing during the rush of the season!

One thing that was encouraging to both my family and Steve was the improvements that they were able to notice in Steve's walking and his speech. We all rejoice in the continued healing Steve is experiencing...even if at times we get impatient with the pace. The hopeful thing is the fact that little by little, Steve improves.

That is a wonderful gift to us all this Christmas!