Let’s talk about love
I attended a funeral for a dear, sweet woman who lived to the wonderful age of 98. She is my stepdad’s mother, and she was a real gem, lovely and cute. Talk about love – she was loved by everyone. The moment you met her, you fell instantly in love.
Going to funerals is never fun and not something you look forward to doing.
The little service at the funeral home for her was sweet. I saw a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a while. From there, everyone rode in a procession to the cemetery. I got confused on the plan and ended up driving to the graveside by myself.
Where is everyone?
I arrived at the cemetery before everyone else, so I pulled my car over and waited till the others arrived. It was so hot outside. Typical Florida weather did not disappoint. I stayed in my car and waited. It was now about 12:30 in the afternoon.
The rest of the formal procession eventually arrived and after setting the casket in position, everyone gathered around underneath the green awning and took their seats. I and some others let the older folks have all the chairs.
The air is fresh and breezy
I chose to stand underneath a tall palm tree. The wind was so breezy underneath the palm tree, I invited others to stand there with me, but they declined. While beads of sweat glistened off the men’s foreheads, I enjoyed the cool air underneath the palm tree. Folks, palm trees don’t give off a lot of shade, but God had provided me with a wonderful ocean breeze and the right amount of shade. Love – I could feel it all around.
As I was standing there, grave markers surrounded the area. I happened to look down to pray, and my feet were standing on the corner of a grave marker. To my surprise, here’s what the grave marker said:
Raymond Doster Cross
December 14, 1919 – September 17, 2005
I wish I would have taken a picture of the headstone. It’s just like the Lord to remind me of His presence.
What does this have to do with love?
Some of you might be wondering why this is a big deal to me. Three reasons stand out:
- Raymond was my father’s first name
- September 17 was the birth date and deceased date of my younger brother Joe
- Cross – reminds me of Jesus and how He died on the cross for my sin
Of all the places to stand in this big open cemetery among all these people, I practically stood on top of these three reminders.
On a difficult day, with the cool breeze blowing, I was reminded of just how much I was loved by my father and brother when they were alive. And even better, how much I am loved by Jesus himself today and every day.
When you go through days and feel like no one loves you, remember there’s always one who does – Jesus Christ.
Forever grateful for His love,
Jeanette Duby, The Teaching Lady
#bridgetogracefl #love #loveothers #jesuslove
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