LIFE!

Michael is getting married this weekend! Our family has been looking forward to this day for a long time. Of course we are going to miss Linda, but as much as possible, our focus will be on a beginning - the start of, what we pray, will be a long, Christ-honoring, joyous relationship! Laura Hall, who will soon be Laura Hall Talley, is amazingly like Linda was when my sweetheart was a young bride. Our entire family is delighted that Laura will be a part of our family - well, an official member - she has been part of our clan for awhile, now. And, Laura's family is a great one, so we are blessed all the way around!

We would be grateful for your prayers. We are committed to making this weekend about living in the present and anticipating the future. Please pray that we will resist the temptation to sadness. Michael and Laura should have our full attention and excitement. I am not doing well at explaining how very much we wish Linda could be there, but how much we want not to dampen the joy of this weekend by focusing on "what is not" rather than "what is." I think you get it, though, and so we appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Not long ago Michael introduced me to a song from the movie Garden State (I have not seen the movie and I am NOT endorsing it) called I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You. The song touches me deeply (although, I am not endorsing everything in the song - do I really need to qualify my appreciation for the song that much? Apparently I think so!), but it would probably would be better 2 or 3 years down the road. The point is that no matter what happens in the future, I will never get over Linda. The sadness will not be as intense in a few years, I am sure, but I will never get over that girl! But, that's not the goal, is it?

Recently I had lunch with my good friend, Ben Dean, who, you will recall, lost his wife (almost exactly Linda's age) in January. I told Ben about the song and he asked me the same thing I just asked you - "It is not the goal to get over a loved one, is it?" Some people maintain an unhealthy attachment to a loved one who has gone on, but getting past deep sorrow is not the same as getting over a spouse. I will NEVER get over Linda, no matter what happens! She was the best! But, this weekend is a time to focus on life.

I have always been struck with the cycle of life when an adult dies. Small children are almost always present in the immediate aftermath of death, and they are oblivious to the gravity of the moment. Their focus is life. When the one who died is a believer, there is a firm belief that he or she is really living now, but sorrow, understandably and rightly, gets top billing. Fortunately, time covers the open wounds and allows one to function at a better level. Get over a loved one? Not hardly! But, that's not the goal anyway, is it?

So, random thoughts and thoughtful ramblings. I am sure you get my heart in all this. Please pray that our focus will be a joyful dose of LIFE this weekend! Linda's parents and all of her siblings will be at the wedding, celebrating with us - we are so grateful for our wonderful family. And, every single one of you who has followed this blog, whether it be for a year or a week - well, you are family, too. Thank you for walking with us!