... great is YOUR faithfulness ♥

... tonight was another "first" in a string of firsts over the last 25 days.  Tonight was my first town board meeting - the last one was November 3 (I am the Clerk for my township).  Again, I was reminded of why I love my little home town so much (and how blessed I am by the Lord)!  My dad is the Township Supervisor, so that was easy - I've seen him almost every day in the past month, but the others, I haven't seen since the funeral home, or before, and sometimes that "first" contact again is a little tension filled, but not tonight.  Tonight it felt good to be "back" doing "life" like I have in the past - trying my BEST to honor Rick's legacy and move forward like I KNOW he would want me to do!  There is one other "girl" on the board, one of the Trustees, and I consider her a very good friend! We chatted about little and big things and I just enjoyed her company . . . another BLESSING showered upon me!

I heard today that some people wonder "what's wrong with me" because I'm not falling apart and again, my ONLY response can be is "it's a GOD thing"!  I was talking to Taya's cheer coach this afternoon and she told me how much she enjoys Taya, how she (Taya) and her friends just make her (the cheer coach) laugh!  How she loves Taya's voice and the sparkle in her eyes! ♥  Ah, a mama is always proud to hear things like that about her children, but after the last month, to hear that my girl has a "sparkle" in her eyes, again, that's a GOD thing - GOD is sparkling in her and through her, makes this mama even MORE proud (and her daddy too♥)

Just before the town board meeting, I was listening to the radio and Chris Tomlin's "I Lift My Hands" played and I was so moved by the chorus:

I lift my hands to believe again, You are my refuge, You are my strength

As I pour out my heart, these things I remember

You are faithful, God

You are faithful, God FOREVER!

As I pour out my heart, these things I remember, you are FAITHFUL God FOREVER!! What an amazing promise - God is FOREVER faithful - even in death - especially the death of a believer.

I got a sweet facebook note from a friend (& her husband) who lives out of town today and she was rejoicing with me how the Lord has held us these last weeks, and as I responded, I told her that I determined, right there in the hospital, that I had a CHOICE to make - to SERVE God or deny Him.  I also said that when the Dr. told me, "I'm sorry Mrs. Rye, Rick didn't make it", he really didn't know WHAT he was talking about!  Rick didn't "make it" in our limited, human sense of the term, but really, he MADE IT on Saturday, November 5!  He MADE IT to HEAVEN - there's no way to say that in a dejected tone - can we be sad for our loss?  Absolutely!   Can we miss Rick with every breath? Most certainly!  Can we think (with our limited human thinking capacity) that Rick's life was cut short?  Yes we can.  But, ultimately, Rick's life was not cut short, he really began LIVING on November 5, 2011!  Bev told me that the week before Rick's accident, she heard a sermon in which the theme was "there is no such thing as a premature death".  Now, isn't that a different way of looking at it?  And if you believe that the Lord is in control and has numbered the hairs of your head, and has known the number of your days - BEFORE you even were formed, then you have to believe that statement.

My devotional today read in part,  "I love you with an everlasting Love, which flows out from the depths of eternity.  Before you were born,  I knew you.  Ponder the awesome mystery of a Love that encompasses you from before birth to beyond the grave. . . you need the certainty of My loving Presence in order to weather the storms of life . . . the ultimate protection against sinking during life's storms is devoting time to develop your friendship with Me."

Yes, that is so true!  Rick was truly my BEST FRIEND, he knew the vulnerable parts of me that I didn't share with others.  He knew my fears, my dreams, my frustrations.  He was the first one I called (or texted!) when something good happened and his was the shoulder I cried on when frustration got the best of me.  He was a loving, caring, supportive husband and Daddy.  He always looked for the best in any situation, and in any person.  He taught me so much about how to love and to live, how to forgive and forget and yet, though I could go on and on and on, the Lord is an EVEN BETTER friend - and I can grasp just a little bit of that because Rick was a part of my life!  If Rick could be my best "earthly" friend and I can go on and on and on about how much I adored him, how much more can I rest assured in my friendship with the Lord!! :)  AMAZING thoughts to carry me through yesterday, today and the tomorrows that come (until that wonderful day when I "don't make it" and join Rick in Heaven)!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,

for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for Him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him,

to the one who seeks Him...

Lamentations 3:22 - 25