Saturday, December 09, 2006

Thinking of Funerals

I have been to 3 funerals in the last 3 weeks. Not all funerals are created equal. The one I was at this afternoon was a really good funeral. Russell Hill died, at age 79, last Tuesday. On my way to Duluth Tuesday afternoon, I decided to stop at the hospital and see him. What I didn't realize at the time was that all of the children and grandchildren had gathered because they did not expect him to live much longer. I am so grateful that I had an opportunity to say "goodbye."

In the two years I have been here in Chisholm, I got to visit with Russell a few times and was impressed by his deep passion for Jesus. He enjoyed a lot of things, but his eyes lit up and he got extra excited to talk about Jesus -- more than any other topic. His passion and his love for scripture have been a true inspiration to me and I am thankful for his example to me.

All these funerals make me think a lot about my own funeral some day. Have you thought about what you want your funeral to be like? Especially, what do you want to be remebered for? Will your life be marked by the things that you possess, or the people you have influenced? What do you need to do today to work towards the funeral you want when you die?

PS: Welcome and hello to Karie Anderson who has been reading from Wisconsin but not typing in yet!

1 comment:

Jessica said...

WOW! THat is great. I had the same sort of experience. It was just three days before my wedding and I got a call from family in WI that my grandpa was on his death bed. The dr's didnt think he would survive. That was Nov. 15, 06. I got the message in the afternoon but my husband and i had so much stuff to do for the wedding that we couldnt leave. At least we didnt think we would have time to drive all the way to Eau Claire Wi which was a 4-5 hour drive, say our goodbyes, then drive back to Hibbing all in 24 hours. Well, we did it. I was really upset that I wouldnt be able tell my grandpa goodbye. At 9pm Wednesday night we left for eau claire. Didnt get there until 1am. Spent a couple hours with my grandpa. He knew I was there. he could here me. I told him that I loved him. We left the hospital at about 300am and drove an hour to our apt in Hudson. We arrived there at 400am, went to sleep at 430am and I woke back up at 530am. We drove back to hibbing at around 700am so that we could get the rest of our wedding planning and organizing done for the wedding in two days.
We only got a total of three hours sleep in that 24hr period. It was crazy.
But I have to tell you how AWESOME GOD IS!!! You see, I prayed and prayed and prayed for GOD to heal my grandpa of his cancer in his lungs. The very next day, I talked to my grandpa on the PHONE!! He remembered us being at the hospital and was happy that I had called. The very night before, he was merely alive. The doctors didnt think he would make it. As my mom told me, he did a 360 overnight!! Some time has gone by now and i keep praying my grandpa will live on.
GOD is so great and I was blessed to be able to witness how HE works!!