Day 85 in my trip toward meeting up with Mickey

God created the whole world in six days, and then he rested on the seventh day.  So, me too.  My plan for today is…me, too.  So I thoroughly enjoyed my extra hour of sleep last night, got up this morning for church and went and rested my spirit in the House of the Lord.

We had a Damascus Road service this morning.  (Our contemporary band) During the Hymn of the Day, congregants were invited to walk up front and light a candle for those that they love who have passed away.  So as we sang “For All the Saints,” that is exactly what happened.  Each family lit a taper off of the Paschal Candle, then placed it in a sand tray.  The tray is a beautiful, wooden octagonal tray handcrafted with loving care by…Mike Jarvi, my darling husband.  As this procession happened I couldn’t help but think about Mike’s dad Eino.  He handcrafted 2 crosses and 2 sets of loaves and fishes which hang on the walls at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Champion, MI.  (One set for inside the church and one set for outside the church.)  I thought about the circle of life, and I thought about the saints who have come and gone in our lives.

Then during communion I sang the first verse of “Shall We Gather at the River” a cappella as a solo.  As the other members of the band came back from communion, they joined in.  First an alto, then a tenor, finally a bass.  By the end of the song there was beautiful four part harmony, and it was glorious!  It’s like heaven, right?  There are voices there now singing God’s praises.  And every day, every minute, another voice joins the choir up there.  And the choir just keeps getting bigger and bigger and louder and louder.  Holy wah!  My mom and dad are up there singing.  I can hear their voices now.  Dad–loud and proud on melody.  Mom–harmonizing in her sweet soprano.  It makes me weep tears of joy!  I look forward to singing with them again someday.  God is good, all the time!

Meet you at the Kingdom!