I thought I was prepared for the day, the day of my grandma's viewing. Most of the girl cousins have been busy working on some picture boards for the viewing today; pictures of grandma with her grandkids, pictures of her with her kids, teams, associations and ministries she has been a part of over the years.
My mom told me before we got to the funeral home that the casket would be in the same room, so I asked if it was open and she said it would be. So I was quite prepared going in, I looked at the picture boards we had worked on and pretty much skipped passing by the coffin, but I could not help but looking at it. Grandma looked pale and stiff but at the same time it didn't even look like grandma because she didn't ever look like that. She always had a smile and was easy to make laugh. She was the most stubborn and strong willed woman I ever knew. The body in the casket was not my grandma...
Friends of the family came to pay respects, some I have met before while most I had never seen before. I spent time talking with my cousins talking of good times we had over the years and our favorite memories with grandma. When the viewing ended, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next... My grandpa walked with his cane over to the casket stood there bent over looking at my grandmother, the woman he shared 58 years with, was a special and tender scene that expressed all the love, commitment and dedication to each-other over the years. No my grandparents were not perfect nor did they have a "perfect" marriage, but with the love of Christ were committed to each-other and to God until death.
My mom told me before we got to the funeral home that the casket would be in the same room, so I asked if it was open and she said it would be. So I was quite prepared going in, I looked at the picture boards we had worked on and pretty much skipped passing by the coffin, but I could not help but looking at it. Grandma looked pale and stiff but at the same time it didn't even look like grandma because she didn't ever look like that. She always had a smile and was easy to make laugh. She was the most stubborn and strong willed woman I ever knew. The body in the casket was not my grandma...
Friends of the family came to pay respects, some I have met before while most I had never seen before. I spent time talking with my cousins talking of good times we had over the years and our favorite memories with grandma. When the viewing ended, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next... My grandpa walked with his cane over to the casket stood there bent over looking at my grandmother, the woman he shared 58 years with, was a special and tender scene that expressed all the love, commitment and dedication to each-other over the years. No my grandparents were not perfect nor did they have a "perfect" marriage, but with the love of Christ were committed to each-other and to God until death.
"In
this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."1 John 4:9-11
Today may not have been a typical valentines day, but I am thankful to celebrate the life of my grandmother Norma Ruth Stachowiak and the love she had for Jesus and her family.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are
confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be
present with the Lord."
"For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul." ~ It Is Well with My Soul H. G Spafford ♥
"For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul." ~ It Is Well with My Soul H. G Spafford ♥
