It's Thursday...

It's two days after Louise's Celebration of Life service.  She was cremated.  It still feels like it's all a dream and not real.  I have such mixed emotions from it all.  I'm happy that she's in heaven and no longer suffering with her seizures anymore but I also regret so very much that we didn't stay in contact more over the years after our kids went their separate ways from their Taekwondo days together.  Tim was training with a coach in Charlotte as an elite athlete in sparring.  Greyson moved on from sparring to track at his school.  Addy moved on from TKD to riding horses.  Our lives were a whirlwind with our kids and we just didn't make the time or effort to keep in touch as we should have.  That's the part that bothers me the most.  She was my oldest friend.  She knew all my stuff and her memory was so much better than mine in remembering our youth.  What a pair we were and then there were three when Kris came along.  We were quite the 3 Musketeers.  That's what everyone who knew us called us because where one was the other two were almost always.  

At the service I got to see folks I haven't seen in years.  I hate it had to be under those circumstances though.  Our old youth leaders had the photo albums out in the foyer and Louise, Kris and I were in almost all of them.  

Our 3 Musketeer group is no more.  I take comfort that we will see one another again someday when we are all in heaven together with our Lord and Savior.  Then we can have quite the reunion.  Until then it's not goodbye it's just see you later.  

I think of the old hymn:  "When we all get to heaven, What a day of rejoicing that will be!  When we all see Jesus, We'll sing and shout the VICTORY!"  

Here's the full Lyrics:

When We All Get To Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav'ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!

No truer words have ever been spoken than that hymn.  I'm so thankful for the old hymns.  Not many churches sing them anymore but they are the ones that I hold closest to my heart.  There's so much truth in them.  I know Louise also held them close to her heart as well.  Our 3 Musketeer group were given such a solid foundation in the teachings of Christ when we were growing up.  Our youth leaders put up with a lot from us and they always showed Christ's love towards us.  The lasting impact from those days will live on as a legacy to those who poured into us for Christ.

#alwaysinmyheart #neverforgetting