Triumphal Arch

Today is a sad day and a happy day. For my friends, we mourned an excellent lady of the Christian Faith who was 41 years of age. Annie B. as she was known to most of us was a gentle spirit who loved Jesus and loved interacting with others whether on a softball field, in her family or with teenagers.
Life is a short journey and can take turns that are unexpected. We are on loan from God for us to be His hands and feet and mouthpiece. As the Bible states, We are the body of Christ. I needed to be reminded of the shortness and brevity of this life=something that I do not like to be reminded of.

On the happy side of today, I got to celebrate the goodness of God through interacting with new relationships that my friends have entered into through marriage. It was god to have an extended time of fellowship-stretching out my hands to strangers who I don't know and friends that I have known for the past 10 to 20 years. Many churches getting together and joys and dreams being reviewed in light of the puzzle of life. We are all pieces of a big jigsaw puzzle where we all try to line up to the picture of how God wants us to be. Let us pray that we are all connected to one another-getting glimpses of others lives-the good, bad and the ugly.

At a 2003 real life retreat, the speaker we heard from had three points from his talk. He said that we are to have no reverses. In that we have to keep going the course that has been laid out before us. There are to be no retreats-no going back to what might be easier. And there are to be no regrets. Sure we are going to miss Annie B. for her love but it is all about attitude of how we face our lives. May God be our shining light. No matter how dark the circumstances that we face.

And lOrd help me to be a good spiritual father to Gary who you have entrusted into my hands to guide. Let me be more patient and understanding as I am his disciple. Let me continue to interconnect with others to God.

Thanks for giving us a chance , Annie B, to share and remember how precious this life is on earth!!!! REST under the triumphal arch that you entered.