August 18. . . .
Certain days have certain meaning . . .
Certain days will always have certain meaning . . .
As August 17 became August 18 during my shift at work last night I changed from entering the date as 8/17/12 to 8/18/12 . . .
However, I found myself wanting to write 8/18/56.
Yes, 1956.
It’s the date I’ve filled in countless times in the past 20 years.
It’s the date of Rickey’s Birthday.
Today,
Rickey would have been 56 years old.
Last year, we teased him that he was the “speed limit” . . . NEVER thinking he’d “forever” be the “speed limit” to us. A year ago, we were eating a Birthday cake that Tessa had helped decorate at her job at Mum’s Flour Company . . . didn’t she do a good job??!!
Today we won’t be celebrating with Rickey here on earth, but we will celebrate that we KNOW he is celebrating this Birthday with JESUS!!
We will be "celebrating" with 100’s of others of Christians raising our hands and our voices in praise to Jesus at "Rock the Lakes" - a Franklin Graham music festival in Green Bay! The praise and worship we experience will pale in comparison to the celebration that Rickey is experiencing before the throne of God, but it will be just a small taste Heaven for us!
So, it is a bittersweet day, a day that we wish we could share with Rickey here on earth. A day we'd love to be planning cake and ice cream and Packer t-shirts for gifts . . . a day that is sad for us, but truly so very joyous for him! I trust fully that this Birthday is the BEST ever for Rickey and that all he would tell any of us today is that we MUST make sure. We must make sure, as he was that if we don't make it to that our next Birthday, we will be absent from our {earthly} bodies, but PRESENT WITH THE LORD . . . and truly, there is no greater Birthday Present!!
So, Happy Birthday Bud, Happy, Happy Birthday . . . you will always be loved and never forgotten . . .
and we can't imagine what a Birthday in Heaven must be like! Thank you for always loving us unconditionally and in that, giving us the strength that we have needed to be strong since you "re-located" to Heaven! We will see you again someday, and until then, we will do our best to point others to JESUS as you did with your kindness and love . . . thank you for sharing your 55 Birthdays on earth with us!
♥
Love you all and thinking of you especially on this memorable day! All the special memories we have of Rick will never be forgotten either! I see his kindness, patience, gentleness and love in the girls so often among so many other things...too many to even mention. Enjoy this day and and all your tomorrows knowing how much he loved all of you. And hope you enjoy these 2 days of music always remembering.. "The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will not leave us nor will HE ever forsake us." These are words Grandma Newlin "Papa Jerry's Mom" said so often and I'll never forget her voice as she spoke them. Happy Birthday to Rickey and best wishes to all of you today and always! Love, Mom
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