Reality Check!!

The past 4 weeks have been a blur! I woke up this morning in my own bed, showered, dressed, and off to work for the first time since December 24th. As I drove in the pre-dawn darkness, it hit me that life goes on. The people I passed as I drove the 12 miles to the store had no idea of what our family had experienced over the past 4 weeks. But, God gave me the thought, that I did not know what they had experienced either. I was so aware of God's grace in the moment and the fact that He meets us right at our point of need. He is always present..He never deserts us. When I arrived at the store, I found a peace lily on my desk with a simple note, "God loves you and so do we." Isn't that just like God?
I will be forever thankful for the notes, calls, cards, flowers, and words of encouragement we have received over the past few weeks. When you go through difficult times like these, I realize that people really don't know what to do or what to say. Often times, just a encouraging word or their very presence is enough. On Thursday prior to daddy's passing, I felt a real need to sit down beside him and tell him that it was OK for him to go. As I cried out and my heart burst with the realization that this would be the most difficult thing I had ever expressed to a loved one...as I told him how much I loved him and how I would look after my sisters...I felt my brother-in-law come up behind me and simply rest his hand on my shoulder. As I emptied my heart, I knew God placed Derrick by my side at that very moment just to let me know that everything would be OK and that as a family, we would always be overcomers.