Dear Readers - This isn't just any devotion, it's the beautiful story of my mother 'going home' on September 18, 2017. This photo is me with my mom in 2015 at The Notebook Cafe ribbon cutting when we did our first publication. She was a faithful Warrior that supported me in all my endeavors. Below is an excerpt taken from the book 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Forty-Day Legacy Devotional. I hope it touches your heart. Thanks, Mom XXOO
Day 39
A Tribute to the Fallen Warrior
A Warrior’s Heart Facing Death
The final section in this book is not a devotion. It’s a tribute…to a fallen Warrior. Until the return of Jesus, all Warrior’s will pass to the next life. The Warrior in this tribute put down her earthly armor and received her promised inheritance from her Father on September 18, 2017 at 3:16 a.m. The earthly battle for the Warrior was over. As you’ve been on this forty-day legacy journey, you’ve become familiar with the heart of this Warrior whose life stories have been shared on these pages. This Warrior tribute is for my mom.
It all started with the veil slowly beginning to separate the realms of heaven and earth for a brief time…
The Bible tells us on rare occasions the curtain…the veil thinly separating heaven and earth is lifted, or transparent revealing to us things that are normally kept hidden. We read of Elijah’s death viewed from heaven’s perspective in 2 Kings 2. Lazarus being carried away by angels in Luke 16:22. In 2 Kings we also see the veil lifted during the war between Israel and the nation of Aram. This ‘unveiling’ allowed the Israelites to always be prepared and the king of Aram never won a victory. The victory always belonged to the Lord.
As my mom’s journey here ended, I believe the veil was very thin between earth and heaven for a brief time. The brief glimpses we were allowed showed us God abundantly answers prayers…a covering of peace was provided as a continuous sign of His presence surrounding us. Even through grief…God was with us in so many ways, I cannot even mention them all here.
When my mother slipped through the veil and we were in deep grief…our family…her legacy…made a decision. To honor her life with a wedding instead of a funeral. I know that sentence needs some explanation and if you’ll stick with me over the next few pages, I pray…this will make beautiful…perfect…sense. If you’re heart broken or grieving anything…may the Father provide deep comfort and His peace as you read these final pages of ‘Heart of a Warrior’.
This Warrior’s wedding was planned by God…not of human thought, but designed by the Creator when He laid out the plans for her life. We got the privilege to glimpse through the veil…as a Warrior wedding was planned…instead of a funeral.
Planning this extraordinary wedding God showed me He IS in all situations…even the death of a loved one that touches our soul. If we allow ourselves to be overcome with grief…we might miss God’s tiny miracles. Allowing Him to bring peace, where there seems an endless pit of despair…joy where there seems nothing but hopelessness…gratitude when it feels like nothing is left…love when it feels like the tears won’t stop…and assurance that while this life can have moments that are filled with beauty, nothing can compare to what the Lord has planned after this life for His Warrior’s who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
A Fallen Warrior’s Hope
The last two years of my mother’s life were very difficult. She had been quite ill and for six months before she slipped through the veil she received hospice care at home. My Dad, along with many family and friends, their church family, and the hospice angels had helped him care for his beloved wife at home. It had been a long season and required sacrifice on his part, but he didn’t mind. My Dad knew that my mom too had sacrificed the many things she had always loved to do. God had watched over them and had seen all that no others could see…day and night…He was there. It was never just my mom and dad…there was always the presence of God filling their home and surrounding them.
The Last Morning – The request to attend church.
Early Sunday morning my mom informed my dad that she thought one day very soon she would be well enough to again attend church with him. She had always loved sitting on the church pew beside him. As he handed her coffee to her that morning, I think she was reminded of how deeply she loved him as he smiled in agreement at her comment. They both still silently hoped she would be able to return to church one day. Neither of my parents knowing…just how accurate her words were. They would indeed return to church together again just a few days later…for their special wedding.
The Final Hours – Shortly after my mom stated she was hopeful to return to church soon, she began to rapidly decline. Within just a few hours she was unable to walk and her pain began to increase. It was decided she need to be transferred to a hospice house, even if just for a few days to regain strength. I watched my Dad tenderly reassure her the entire time, he would not leave her side. About a year before as medication needed to be monitored, my dad had taken a random stack of index cards from the closet to record daily medication. Each midnight a new index card was turned over and the new date written at the top to track the medication given that day. The stack of index cards was about 4” tall. Completing the daily index cards ensured that no medication had been overlooked. As we left for the hospice house we took the stack of index cards we had been filling out each day for almost a year now. This would allow the hospice staff to see what medication my mom had received and her pain pattern.
My mom had been at hospice for about 5 hours as midnight approached. We knew it was time to start another index card for the new day. As we always did, we picked up the stack of index cards to get a new one and write the date. But as we reached under the stack for a new card…we suddenly realized there were no index cards left. The index card used that Sunday morning…had been the last one. Was it coincidence that a randomly selected amount of index cards, used for almost a year…had suddenly ran out? Or was this a sign from God...that He was in all the details…both living and going home. He overlooks nothing. He set beforehand the amount of time she would have on earth. I remember the feeling of surprise, but realized it was as if peering through a veil that was slightly beginning to open…knowing nothing takes God by surprise.
The Fallen Warrior Says ‘Farewell’
As my sweet mother laid in the hospice bed, tiny and fragile, her face reflecting the toll of the last several months, she was still alert. My Dad, as much in love with her then as when they first married 57 years before lay quietly on the bed beside her. I tried to encourage him to move to the couch and get some rest. He stated that he had slept beside her for 57 years. This would be their last night here together and he was not giving up this opportunity to be close to her.
Yes, God had decided long before that this would be the Warrior’s final evening on earth… as she began to slip through the fragile veil…God granted my family His grace and mercy as we each said ‘farewell for now’ during my mom’s transition into eternity. Her final moments here were just as important to God as her first had been. He would be in every moment. As promised, He would not leave the Warrior’s side. She would not be forsaken.
As the early morning hours drew near…my Dad held his wife and stroked her check as her breathing, soft and beautiful, began to slow down…he told her he loved her…he thanked her for the special birthday gift she had given him earlier that night at hospice…her breathing getting slower and slower…he told her it was time, time for her to go see her family, they had been waiting a long time for this day…he thanked her for raising their family together…her breathing never labored, just slower and slower…he told her how much he loved her…she was perfectly peaceful as she took her last breath…
The veil is lifted –
…her next breath was in heaven…looking at Jesus…the wheelchair gone…the pain removed…every tear wiped from her eyes…seeing unspeakable things of great joy…greeting family members that had awaited her arrival…there was no need for index cards where she was at now…her time would never run out…she had stepped through the veil and into eternity at the exact time God had planned…God fulfilling His promise to her from years before when she gave her heart to Jesus at Batey Creek when she was 12-years-old. Her long awaited inheritance had all been made ready and waiting…
As my mom stepped into heaven, my grieving family stepped into the hospice hallway at 3:16 a.m. For the first time, we had neither a mother or a wife here…she had started her never ending journey. It was then that my Dad asked us to help plan a wedding instead of a funeral. He reminded us that they had never had a church wedding…and this was the opportunity for him to give my mom a church wedding. He wasn’t going to miss it…he wanted us to plan a wedding.
He was going to walk her down the aisle…the groom returning her for safe keeping until God reunited them in His time…
Planning the wedding...
We started planning my parents wedding…not a funeral with mourning clothing cloaked in sadness…but a wedding… a celebration of true love…a gift from God. We were trying to find gratefulness in all that she had been and all that she had given to us…and the God who loved each of us, as we were now physically separated by heaven and earth.
The rain pelted the ground on that cold late September day as my Dad arrived home from helping to make the wedding arrangements. He must have realized for the first time that the house would now be filled with only his presence… for she had completely slipped through the veil. It was almost dusk as he pulled into the driveway of their familiar home. At the corner of the drive he looked with disbelief…the purple morning glories that bloomed only when it was bright and sunny in the afternoon…were absolutely bursting with purple flowers. They hadn’t been that beautiful all summer; yet today…in the cold, damp, rain, and darkness of the overcast day…they were blooming brilliantly. He knew it was a sign from God. It lifted his spirits…the veil was still thin and God was going to comfort my family in ways we could not conceive.
The next morning the church sent the wedding bulletin to be printed. It touched my heart deeply to see the cover outlined…with purple morning glories. God showing that He is truly in every little detail…His overflowing heart of love revealed in the smallest things.
Getting the Bride Ready –
A bride needs to be beautiful for her wedding. To honor that, we got everything she would need and went to the funeral home to get the bride ready for the wedding. When we arrived we expected this might be very hard. We wondered if it would be difficult to view her, possibly uncomfortable to touch her. While she had just turned 78, the ravages of the illness had aged her beautiful face by decades. As the kind funeral home staff opened the door to a room they had so beautifully prepared for the bride to get ready, we all gasped…she looked absolutely beautiful! It was as if the Hand of her Creator had wiped every wrinkle away that was caused by pain. Her skin a beautiful tone without any makeup. The peace present in the room could only be God. He was showing us He had erased her pain and taken her to the place He promised where she would be waiting to welcome each of us one day. Seeing her peaceful beauty our mood lightened. We laughed, shared funny stories remembering her, and told family jokes as we prepared the bride, my Warrior mom, for her groom. The long awaited church wedding was going to be wonderful. I learned God is a great wedding planner as He took care of all the details. The bride was dressed in her favorite red dress and we selected red dresses to match the wedding party.
Getting the Groom Ready –
My mom had even prepared my Dad for the wedding…the week before she slipped through the veil had been a difficult week. But one afternoon she had insisted on giving my Dad a haircut! He didn’t think she would possibly be able to do this as she couldn’t stand for more than just a few minutes. It took her three tries due to her standing limitations, but she finally gave him a haircut. There was a piece of his hair that she hadn’t cut quite right. I offered to fix it, but my Dad refused saying this was the final haircut she gave him and this would be the haircut he would wear to the wedding…exactly the way she had cut it. We again realized that even the week before she stepped into heaven, God had given her a glimpse that her groom would need a haircut. What a gift that he would be wearing the final haircut by his wife at the wedding. God again showing us that He was in all the details. Orchestrating everything. Omitting nothing. He knew every hair on the grooms head. Who better than God Himself to hold the grooms hand and show him compassion as He gathered the bride into His arms for eternity.
One Final Wedding Gift from the Groom –
My Dad had even prepared a final wedding gift for my mom. During the winter months as he cared for her he had started quilting. He had made a beautiful purple quilt. Everyone kept asking who it was for, but he never revealed the recipient….until now. He told us how he and my mom had made the quilt, with her offering advice and sometimes assistance during many winter evenings working with him as long as she could sit. My Dad didn’t think she would survive through the winter and he wanted her to have a final gift…the purple quilt…although he knew she would be in the perfectly controlled climate of heaven. The gift of the quilt represented the deep love between a husband and wife. The quilt signifying how their journey fit together perfectly. Each quilt piece symbolizing a memory stitched together with a love spanning 57 years…
God was showing us that love is stronger than death…stronger than illness…stronger than not knowing what the next day holds…stronger than fear…love conquers all…believes all…we were having a wedding…where oh death is your sting? We knew God had given her a victory…in life she was loved and in death…she was loved even more…
The Wedding Reception
The day of the visitation arrived…we were at the church early to greet the guest of honor, the bride, for her final arrival to the church. Just as she had stated a few days before, the day she slipped though the veil…she was going to church. The church had received many, many flowers. Photos were set out, tables arranged, a computer presentation prepared to play for the guests. The bride looked beautiful in her red dress…the handmade purple quilt draped on the lower portion of the pure white casket.
The staff from the funeral home…probably for the first time…were transformed into wedding helpers as they welcomed guests. Just under 300 people came to see the bride and share in the joy of our family. Grandchildren played and did cartwheels. My Dad stood beside the bride; we stood one last time at our parent’s side. It was a picture of hope, assurance, and faith. Hope in the legacy she had left. Assurance in the joy that she had received as she entered heaven because through her faith she believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God.
The Wedding
The final scene of her journey, her long awaited church wedding day was about to unfold. It would be a touching scene that could easily have been taken from a Hallmark movie. This certainly would have seemed appropriate as my mom loved Hallmark Christmas movies. She fought for happy endings and would now get the starring role. The sunlight softly filtered through the windows as beautiful music filled the church my parents had attended for years. The groom looked much younger than his 82 years. His hair was neatly combed and he appeared handsome and well dressed for this special wedding as he slowly escorted his wife of 57 years down the aisle. They had shared a lifetime of true love. A fifty-seven year journey sharing good times, tough times, joyful celebrations, and working side-by-side to raise a family. They had endured seasons of mourning, difficult times of illness, early years of financial hardship, adventurous travels in later years, and eventually running an antique business together in the small town of Walnut, Iowa. It had been a long and beautiful journey that had led them to this exact place...
The Wedding Day
The church was booked. The guests were invited. The flowers ordered and delivered. The music selected. The church wedding…57 years in the making…had finally arrived. When the groom escorted his wife down the aisle it was easy to see this wasn’t a typical wedding. Most bride and grooms are just beginning their journey, but for this couple…the journey on earth of traveling together was over. The husband was walking beside a beautiful white casket trimmed in delicate gold that carried his beloved bride. This is where the life’s journey had led them. However, what couldn’t be seen by the earthly eyes watching the couple go down the aisle a final time…was the God who had never forsaken them. Each step of their journey, He was present. He was with them. Sometimes He carried them. They each knew with certainty He would always be with them they would not be alone.
As the minister read the words of Proverbs 31…“she is clothed in purple linen”…the beautiful purple quilt made by my Dad caught the bright morning sun as it softly draped the brides stunning white casket…again...God revealing Himself. I noticed the colorful banner the church had selected hanging at the alter with the silhouette of a woman…who was completely dressed in red. She was dancing. The words on the banner read, “a time to dance”. It was as if the silhouette of the woman freely dancing was shouting to those at the wedding…‘Look at me, I have been restored by the blood of Jesus…don’t mourn…it’s a time to dance.” And there, just a few feet from the banner, was the beautiful white casket of my mother…all dressed in red. What a God of detail and compassion!
One Final Celebration –
Returning the Bride to her Father in HeavenMy Dad escorted his wife to the final place where her body would now lay…the minister spoke of those who were waiting for the beautiful bride that Monday morning at 3:16 a.m. While the family had said a temporary farewell, there were others waiting with a glad shout, “she has arrived…she is here…it’s a time to dance.” As we touched the casket a final time…a casket that held all the Warrior was here…we knew she was fully alive, even perhaps more alive than anytime on earth…in heaven…
The Warrior was not laid to rest, but risen to dance…freely in heaven. The Bible assures believers of Jesus Christ that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
God so loved the world, and the faithful Warrior’s –God gave my family...a beautiful wedding for a faithful Warrior…instead of a funeral…assuring us of where she was and who He is. I thank Jesus for removing the veil so that those who believe…can have access to heaven, His Holy dwelling place. I know the Warrior bride has now seen all that He promised and she is held safe...as she joyfully shouts…‘it’s a time to dance.’
As I wrote in the first paragraph, with the nation of Aram God got the victory, Aram never won. As God lifted the veil for my precious Warrior Mom to step through...He got the victory...death of this faithful Warrior has left a void here, but a completion in heaven that we do not fully understand yet. We will meet again, Faithful Warrior…when God lifts the veil for each of us to slip through...our victory awaits.
Jesus gives all the chance to be a Warrior –
The day my faithful Warrior mother passed from this life to the next, I knew where she was going because she had given her heart to Jesus. She was SAVED for eternity. Who do you know that might slip through the veil and not get to see Jesus on the other side? Are you fully assured of your own salvation? The Bible tells us in Romans 10:8-10 …“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. That if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The deal is sealed.
Salvation is yours. Warrior Sister, you too can have a wedding instead of a funeral. Pray for those you know who are lost and let them see your heart for Christ. Be a salvation Warrior lifting their names to the throne and asking God to open their eyes, minds, and heart, that they too would be saved. For God wishes that not one to perish 2 Peter 3:9.
My Forever Warrior –
Even in your final moments, mom...you showed us Jesus. I am forever grateful I got to attend the Faithful Warrior’s wedding. I’ll see you one day…on the other side of the veil…I wonder if you’ll be wearing red…and dancing…
**If this uplifted and encouraged you, you may enjoy Shelly's book, 'Heart of a Warrior' A Legacy of Faith. Click here for more information!
Day 39
A Tribute to the Fallen Warrior
A Warrior’s Heart Facing Death
The final section in this book is not a devotion. It’s a tribute…to a fallen Warrior. Until the return of Jesus, all Warrior’s will pass to the next life. The Warrior in this tribute put down her earthly armor and received her promised inheritance from her Father on September 18, 2017 at 3:16 a.m. The earthly battle for the Warrior was over. As you’ve been on this forty-day legacy journey, you’ve become familiar with the heart of this Warrior whose life stories have been shared on these pages. This Warrior tribute is for my mom.
It all started with the veil slowly beginning to separate the realms of heaven and earth for a brief time…
The Bible tells us on rare occasions the curtain…the veil thinly separating heaven and earth is lifted, or transparent revealing to us things that are normally kept hidden. We read of Elijah’s death viewed from heaven’s perspective in 2 Kings 2. Lazarus being carried away by angels in Luke 16:22. In 2 Kings we also see the veil lifted during the war between Israel and the nation of Aram. This ‘unveiling’ allowed the Israelites to always be prepared and the king of Aram never won a victory. The victory always belonged to the Lord.
As my mom’s journey here ended, I believe the veil was very thin between earth and heaven for a brief time. The brief glimpses we were allowed showed us God abundantly answers prayers…a covering of peace was provided as a continuous sign of His presence surrounding us. Even through grief…God was with us in so many ways, I cannot even mention them all here.
When my mother slipped through the veil and we were in deep grief…our family…her legacy…made a decision. To honor her life with a wedding instead of a funeral. I know that sentence needs some explanation and if you’ll stick with me over the next few pages, I pray…this will make beautiful…perfect…sense. If you’re heart broken or grieving anything…may the Father provide deep comfort and His peace as you read these final pages of ‘Heart of a Warrior’.
This Warrior’s wedding was planned by God…not of human thought, but designed by the Creator when He laid out the plans for her life. We got the privilege to glimpse through the veil…as a Warrior wedding was planned…instead of a funeral.
Planning this extraordinary wedding God showed me He IS in all situations…even the death of a loved one that touches our soul. If we allow ourselves to be overcome with grief…we might miss God’s tiny miracles. Allowing Him to bring peace, where there seems an endless pit of despair…joy where there seems nothing but hopelessness…gratitude when it feels like nothing is left…love when it feels like the tears won’t stop…and assurance that while this life can have moments that are filled with beauty, nothing can compare to what the Lord has planned after this life for His Warrior’s who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
A Fallen Warrior’s Hope
The last two years of my mother’s life were very difficult. She had been quite ill and for six months before she slipped through the veil she received hospice care at home. My Dad, along with many family and friends, their church family, and the hospice angels had helped him care for his beloved wife at home. It had been a long season and required sacrifice on his part, but he didn’t mind. My Dad knew that my mom too had sacrificed the many things she had always loved to do. God had watched over them and had seen all that no others could see…day and night…He was there. It was never just my mom and dad…there was always the presence of God filling their home and surrounding them.
The Last Morning – The request to attend church.
Early Sunday morning my mom informed my dad that she thought one day very soon she would be well enough to again attend church with him. She had always loved sitting on the church pew beside him. As he handed her coffee to her that morning, I think she was reminded of how deeply she loved him as he smiled in agreement at her comment. They both still silently hoped she would be able to return to church one day. Neither of my parents knowing…just how accurate her words were. They would indeed return to church together again just a few days later…for their special wedding.
The Final Hours – Shortly after my mom stated she was hopeful to return to church soon, she began to rapidly decline. Within just a few hours she was unable to walk and her pain began to increase. It was decided she need to be transferred to a hospice house, even if just for a few days to regain strength. I watched my Dad tenderly reassure her the entire time, he would not leave her side. About a year before as medication needed to be monitored, my dad had taken a random stack of index cards from the closet to record daily medication. Each midnight a new index card was turned over and the new date written at the top to track the medication given that day. The stack of index cards was about 4” tall. Completing the daily index cards ensured that no medication had been overlooked. As we left for the hospice house we took the stack of index cards we had been filling out each day for almost a year now. This would allow the hospice staff to see what medication my mom had received and her pain pattern.
My mom had been at hospice for about 5 hours as midnight approached. We knew it was time to start another index card for the new day. As we always did, we picked up the stack of index cards to get a new one and write the date. But as we reached under the stack for a new card…we suddenly realized there were no index cards left. The index card used that Sunday morning…had been the last one. Was it coincidence that a randomly selected amount of index cards, used for almost a year…had suddenly ran out? Or was this a sign from God...that He was in all the details…both living and going home. He overlooks nothing. He set beforehand the amount of time she would have on earth. I remember the feeling of surprise, but realized it was as if peering through a veil that was slightly beginning to open…knowing nothing takes God by surprise.
The Fallen Warrior Says ‘Farewell’
As my sweet mother laid in the hospice bed, tiny and fragile, her face reflecting the toll of the last several months, she was still alert. My Dad, as much in love with her then as when they first married 57 years before lay quietly on the bed beside her. I tried to encourage him to move to the couch and get some rest. He stated that he had slept beside her for 57 years. This would be their last night here together and he was not giving up this opportunity to be close to her.
Yes, God had decided long before that this would be the Warrior’s final evening on earth… as she began to slip through the fragile veil…God granted my family His grace and mercy as we each said ‘farewell for now’ during my mom’s transition into eternity. Her final moments here were just as important to God as her first had been. He would be in every moment. As promised, He would not leave the Warrior’s side. She would not be forsaken.
As the early morning hours drew near…my Dad held his wife and stroked her check as her breathing, soft and beautiful, began to slow down…he told her he loved her…he thanked her for the special birthday gift she had given him earlier that night at hospice…her breathing getting slower and slower…he told her it was time, time for her to go see her family, they had been waiting a long time for this day…he thanked her for raising their family together…her breathing never labored, just slower and slower…he told her how much he loved her…she was perfectly peaceful as she took her last breath…
The veil is lifted –
…her next breath was in heaven…looking at Jesus…the wheelchair gone…the pain removed…every tear wiped from her eyes…seeing unspeakable things of great joy…greeting family members that had awaited her arrival…there was no need for index cards where she was at now…her time would never run out…she had stepped through the veil and into eternity at the exact time God had planned…God fulfilling His promise to her from years before when she gave her heart to Jesus at Batey Creek when she was 12-years-old. Her long awaited inheritance had all been made ready and waiting…
As my mom stepped into heaven, my grieving family stepped into the hospice hallway at 3:16 a.m. For the first time, we had neither a mother or a wife here…she had started her never ending journey. It was then that my Dad asked us to help plan a wedding instead of a funeral. He reminded us that they had never had a church wedding…and this was the opportunity for him to give my mom a church wedding. He wasn’t going to miss it…he wanted us to plan a wedding.
He was going to walk her down the aisle…the groom returning her for safe keeping until God reunited them in His time…
Planning the wedding...
We started planning my parents wedding…not a funeral with mourning clothing cloaked in sadness…but a wedding… a celebration of true love…a gift from God. We were trying to find gratefulness in all that she had been and all that she had given to us…and the God who loved each of us, as we were now physically separated by heaven and earth.
The rain pelted the ground on that cold late September day as my Dad arrived home from helping to make the wedding arrangements. He must have realized for the first time that the house would now be filled with only his presence… for she had completely slipped through the veil. It was almost dusk as he pulled into the driveway of their familiar home. At the corner of the drive he looked with disbelief…the purple morning glories that bloomed only when it was bright and sunny in the afternoon…were absolutely bursting with purple flowers. They hadn’t been that beautiful all summer; yet today…in the cold, damp, rain, and darkness of the overcast day…they were blooming brilliantly. He knew it was a sign from God. It lifted his spirits…the veil was still thin and God was going to comfort my family in ways we could not conceive.
The next morning the church sent the wedding bulletin to be printed. It touched my heart deeply to see the cover outlined…with purple morning glories. God showing that He is truly in every little detail…His overflowing heart of love revealed in the smallest things.
Getting the Bride Ready –
A bride needs to be beautiful for her wedding. To honor that, we got everything she would need and went to the funeral home to get the bride ready for the wedding. When we arrived we expected this might be very hard. We wondered if it would be difficult to view her, possibly uncomfortable to touch her. While she had just turned 78, the ravages of the illness had aged her beautiful face by decades. As the kind funeral home staff opened the door to a room they had so beautifully prepared for the bride to get ready, we all gasped…she looked absolutely beautiful! It was as if the Hand of her Creator had wiped every wrinkle away that was caused by pain. Her skin a beautiful tone without any makeup. The peace present in the room could only be God. He was showing us He had erased her pain and taken her to the place He promised where she would be waiting to welcome each of us one day. Seeing her peaceful beauty our mood lightened. We laughed, shared funny stories remembering her, and told family jokes as we prepared the bride, my Warrior mom, for her groom. The long awaited church wedding was going to be wonderful. I learned God is a great wedding planner as He took care of all the details. The bride was dressed in her favorite red dress and we selected red dresses to match the wedding party.
Getting the Groom Ready –
My mom had even prepared my Dad for the wedding…the week before she slipped through the veil had been a difficult week. But one afternoon she had insisted on giving my Dad a haircut! He didn’t think she would possibly be able to do this as she couldn’t stand for more than just a few minutes. It took her three tries due to her standing limitations, but she finally gave him a haircut. There was a piece of his hair that she hadn’t cut quite right. I offered to fix it, but my Dad refused saying this was the final haircut she gave him and this would be the haircut he would wear to the wedding…exactly the way she had cut it. We again realized that even the week before she stepped into heaven, God had given her a glimpse that her groom would need a haircut. What a gift that he would be wearing the final haircut by his wife at the wedding. God again showing us that He was in all the details. Orchestrating everything. Omitting nothing. He knew every hair on the grooms head. Who better than God Himself to hold the grooms hand and show him compassion as He gathered the bride into His arms for eternity.
One Final Wedding Gift from the Groom –
My Dad had even prepared a final wedding gift for my mom. During the winter months as he cared for her he had started quilting. He had made a beautiful purple quilt. Everyone kept asking who it was for, but he never revealed the recipient….until now. He told us how he and my mom had made the quilt, with her offering advice and sometimes assistance during many winter evenings working with him as long as she could sit. My Dad didn’t think she would survive through the winter and he wanted her to have a final gift…the purple quilt…although he knew she would be in the perfectly controlled climate of heaven. The gift of the quilt represented the deep love between a husband and wife. The quilt signifying how their journey fit together perfectly. Each quilt piece symbolizing a memory stitched together with a love spanning 57 years…
God was showing us that love is stronger than death…stronger than illness…stronger than not knowing what the next day holds…stronger than fear…love conquers all…believes all…we were having a wedding…where oh death is your sting? We knew God had given her a victory…in life she was loved and in death…she was loved even more…
The Wedding Reception
The day of the visitation arrived…we were at the church early to greet the guest of honor, the bride, for her final arrival to the church. Just as she had stated a few days before, the day she slipped though the veil…she was going to church. The church had received many, many flowers. Photos were set out, tables arranged, a computer presentation prepared to play for the guests. The bride looked beautiful in her red dress…the handmade purple quilt draped on the lower portion of the pure white casket.
The staff from the funeral home…probably for the first time…were transformed into wedding helpers as they welcomed guests. Just under 300 people came to see the bride and share in the joy of our family. Grandchildren played and did cartwheels. My Dad stood beside the bride; we stood one last time at our parent’s side. It was a picture of hope, assurance, and faith. Hope in the legacy she had left. Assurance in the joy that she had received as she entered heaven because through her faith she believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God.
The Wedding
The final scene of her journey, her long awaited church wedding day was about to unfold. It would be a touching scene that could easily have been taken from a Hallmark movie. This certainly would have seemed appropriate as my mom loved Hallmark Christmas movies. She fought for happy endings and would now get the starring role. The sunlight softly filtered through the windows as beautiful music filled the church my parents had attended for years. The groom looked much younger than his 82 years. His hair was neatly combed and he appeared handsome and well dressed for this special wedding as he slowly escorted his wife of 57 years down the aisle. They had shared a lifetime of true love. A fifty-seven year journey sharing good times, tough times, joyful celebrations, and working side-by-side to raise a family. They had endured seasons of mourning, difficult times of illness, early years of financial hardship, adventurous travels in later years, and eventually running an antique business together in the small town of Walnut, Iowa. It had been a long and beautiful journey that had led them to this exact place...
The Wedding Day
The church was booked. The guests were invited. The flowers ordered and delivered. The music selected. The church wedding…57 years in the making…had finally arrived. When the groom escorted his wife down the aisle it was easy to see this wasn’t a typical wedding. Most bride and grooms are just beginning their journey, but for this couple…the journey on earth of traveling together was over. The husband was walking beside a beautiful white casket trimmed in delicate gold that carried his beloved bride. This is where the life’s journey had led them. However, what couldn’t be seen by the earthly eyes watching the couple go down the aisle a final time…was the God who had never forsaken them. Each step of their journey, He was present. He was with them. Sometimes He carried them. They each knew with certainty He would always be with them they would not be alone.
As the minister read the words of Proverbs 31…“she is clothed in purple linen”…the beautiful purple quilt made by my Dad caught the bright morning sun as it softly draped the brides stunning white casket…again...God revealing Himself. I noticed the colorful banner the church had selected hanging at the alter with the silhouette of a woman…who was completely dressed in red. She was dancing. The words on the banner read, “a time to dance”. It was as if the silhouette of the woman freely dancing was shouting to those at the wedding…‘Look at me, I have been restored by the blood of Jesus…don’t mourn…it’s a time to dance.” And there, just a few feet from the banner, was the beautiful white casket of my mother…all dressed in red. What a God of detail and compassion!
One Final Celebration –
Returning the Bride to her Father in HeavenMy Dad escorted his wife to the final place where her body would now lay…the minister spoke of those who were waiting for the beautiful bride that Monday morning at 3:16 a.m. While the family had said a temporary farewell, there were others waiting with a glad shout, “she has arrived…she is here…it’s a time to dance.” As we touched the casket a final time…a casket that held all the Warrior was here…we knew she was fully alive, even perhaps more alive than anytime on earth…in heaven…
The Warrior was not laid to rest, but risen to dance…freely in heaven. The Bible assures believers of Jesus Christ that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived what the Lord has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
God so loved the world, and the faithful Warrior’s –God gave my family...a beautiful wedding for a faithful Warrior…instead of a funeral…assuring us of where she was and who He is. I thank Jesus for removing the veil so that those who believe…can have access to heaven, His Holy dwelling place. I know the Warrior bride has now seen all that He promised and she is held safe...as she joyfully shouts…‘it’s a time to dance.’
As I wrote in the first paragraph, with the nation of Aram God got the victory, Aram never won. As God lifted the veil for my precious Warrior Mom to step through...He got the victory...death of this faithful Warrior has left a void here, but a completion in heaven that we do not fully understand yet. We will meet again, Faithful Warrior…when God lifts the veil for each of us to slip through...our victory awaits.
Jesus gives all the chance to be a Warrior –
The day my faithful Warrior mother passed from this life to the next, I knew where she was going because she had given her heart to Jesus. She was SAVED for eternity. Who do you know that might slip through the veil and not get to see Jesus on the other side? Are you fully assured of your own salvation? The Bible tells us in Romans 10:8-10 …“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. That if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The deal is sealed.
Salvation is yours. Warrior Sister, you too can have a wedding instead of a funeral. Pray for those you know who are lost and let them see your heart for Christ. Be a salvation Warrior lifting their names to the throne and asking God to open their eyes, minds, and heart, that they too would be saved. For God wishes that not one to perish 2 Peter 3:9.
My Forever Warrior –
Even in your final moments, mom...you showed us Jesus. I am forever grateful I got to attend the Faithful Warrior’s wedding. I’ll see you one day…on the other side of the veil…I wonder if you’ll be wearing red…and dancing…
**If this uplifted and encouraged you, you may enjoy Shelly's book, 'Heart of a Warrior' A Legacy of Faith. Click here for more information!
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The Notebook Cafe -- Inspired Words for the Journey is an online cafe brewing up words of inspiration and encouragement to equip us for this journey. The Cafe (and Millie McKeever's Vintage & Home Decor) is located in the quaint historic town of Walnut, Iowa. 'The Cafe' offers a place where women gather to share a time of fellowship, devotion, and a tour the circa 1875 historical bank building restored by Shelly and her husband. Shelly is the Publisher of The Notebook Cafe and coauthor of two books, Entwined, now in it's fourth printing; and Heart of a Warrior; in it's sixth printing. Shelly has a passion for writing what God places in her heart. Taking a giant leap of faith she left the corporate world to pursue a dream God gave her of developing a monthly inspirational faith based online reading café in February 2015. Today, The Notebook Café reaches over 2,000,000 people each month. She has found the road in unknown territory is not always easy, BUT GOD always finds a way to bring about what He has promised. Shelly has also developed The Notebook Cafe Annual Woman's Conference. The Notebook Cafe has hosted seven women's conferences since October 2015. Shelly and her husband, Dave, spend time with their family and many weekends working on home renovation projects…that thankfully never seem to end.
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