breathing deeply

This past Saturday I got to spend a few precious minutes alone with my grandfather. I told him how amazing it would be to have a procession of angels welcome him to his new home and sing happy birthday to him as he would soon be reborn into heaven. How great it would be to take deep breaths unassisted, and walk freely on streets made of gold! That night as my family sang happy birthday to me, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealousy as I imagined the beautiful scene he got to experience just a couple hours earlier.

After three very long weeks, the family made the hard decision to honor Poppy’s wishes and remove the ventilator that had been keeping him alive for days. As we stood at his bedside, I was led to Revelation 7:14-17.

“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,

they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;

and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them.

Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be there shepherd;

He will lead them to springs of living water.

And God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes.”

And I know in time God will wipe every tear from our eyes also!! Thank you as you’ve prayed for us over the past couple weeks. I know that we have felt your prayers, even now as we feel such peace with the decision that was made and with his health and his eternal life at this very moment and forever. I ask for your continued prayers as we mourn and especially for my beautiful Granny as she learns how to live without the man she’s spent almost 63 years with. It’ll be hard… and we’ll all miss him… but, man, I love to think about him walking with the Lord and taking those deep breaths!!

Thanks again, I do love y’all very much!

His,

Anna Kathryn

“I thank my God every time I remember you;

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy!”

-Philippians 1:3-4

For those of you who knew him and won’t see the Gainesville Times tomorrow, visitation is Monday night, 6-8, Tuesday, 2-4 and 6-8, and the funeral is Wednesday at 2:00. All of this is happening at Ward’s Funeral Home in Gainesville , where he worked for 50 plus years, all the way up to his hospitalization a little over three weeks ago.