the silver lining...

People sometimes say that every cloud has a silver lining to comfort somebody who's having problems. They mean that it is always possible to get something positive out of a situation, no matter how unpleasant, difficult or even painful it might seem.

The cloud is the painful time of losing a loved one. Knowing that we won't be able to call them, or send them an e-mail telling them about our day. Realizing that the part they played in our life here on earth has ended. We all will face the death of a loved one at some point in our lives. It is something that we don’t like to talk about or even try to imagine. Death is a reality we cannot escape. But God tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 that "we do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope". Christ won the victory over death. Those who believe in him will have the hope of eternal life. That’s the silver lining to the dark cloud. Death is not the end, in reality it is a new birth into eternity with Christ and God the Father.

Kim - Howard - Amanda

This Tuesday is the memorial service for Howard’s dad Carl. Because he put his faith in Christ, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is even now celebrating eternal life with his Lord and Saviour. He is free from the pain and suffering that is part of this sinful world. That is the silver lining and something to celebrate.
Howard flew to Wisconsin to be with the family to celebrate the life of his dad. Another silver lining is spending time with the kids and grandkids. He met our granddaughter Grace for the very first time in person. I just wanted to share a couple of the pictures that Kim took of opa and his girls and the grandkids.

Lauren - Delilah - Grace - opa Howard - Topher