She drowned just before Easter in 1960. 
Today I went to the funeral of my good friend, Glynis’ 23 year old son Klinton. That can be read about on his blog. Last week I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the service. It being on this day. Through a lot of prayer and pressing into the LORD, His peace filled my heart. And I did my own memorial for my sister during the service. Afterwards I felt a peace about my sister death that I have never known. It is very hard to discribe other then I feel different.
This last week I have thought a lot about life and death. Knowing that GOD is good and He doesn’t play games of meanness. There had to be a reason more than I understood about what we call traumas. This is what I have come to realize.
The joy of the LORD is my strength, period! GOD is a Good Father and He delights in us. He takes great pleasure in watching us enjoy His world. A good Father doesn’t purposely hurt His children. Watching love ones die or live with handicaps is so very hard but I think that even GOD’s heart aches with us. Will we trust Him when we don’t understand and delight in His presence? Or will we grow bitter and angry? His Son Jesus paid the full price for us to be with Him forever and He is worthy of all worship.
Ecclesiastes 3
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (NKJV)
I know that no one wants to talk or even think about death but it happens to us all. I want to give you a hope! When our time is coming to an end - walking in the strength of the LORD keeps us going. In the LORD (I need to add that -in the LORD- is accepting the gift of eternal life through believing in Jesus, who paid the debit we owed. So that we could love GOD and enjoy GOD forever.) our body that is wearing out and dies get put in the ground as a seed but our soul-spirit (who we really are) goes instantly home (heaven). We will be changed as a seed that is planted looks nothing like the plant. All that I know is I am looking forward to the day when I am with GOD. I drink in the beauty here on earth that I can’t even begin to imagine the splendor in the presence of Almighty God.
1 Corinthians 15
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (NKJV)
He paid the price through His death and Resurrection because of His great love and delight in us. We are of more value to Him than we know. Just think in heaven the streets are paved solid gold. The walls of the city are precious gems. People are of the most value and every life precious. I pray that you will see the smile of GOD and feel His intense pleasure in you. Wow am I looking forward to being with my GOD!!!!! Rejoice
Zephaniah 3:17
“The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (NIV)
I pray this will touch your heart.
This year I choose the LORD and the joy He gives. Yes, our family celebrates Christmas and Hanukkah to me they go hand in hand because Jesus is the victor over all. Hanukkah is mentions in John 10: 22-24 They were celebrating Hanukkah just then in Jerusalem. It was winter. Jesus was strolling in the Temple across Solomon's Porch. The Jews, circling him, said, "How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you're the Messiah, tell us straight out." (The Message) Some other time I can go into more detail or if you want you can ask me.
Jesse, Hanukkah 1979 in Eilat, Israel 
