Today marks the 5th year that our sweet Gracie went home to be with Jesus.
Gracie’s earthly body is no longer with us, but her spirit is indwelt within our hearts.
Many things bring her to mind...
When we walk by the special box with her earthly ashes
When we see her face in a picture around the house
Whenever we look at our recent family photos
When we here a certain song that reminds us of her or our Heavenly Father
As we watch Luke grow older we still often think what she would of looked like and what her interest may have been
This year Abbey has a friend in class named Gracie.
In her dance class there are only 4 children two whom are twins
Anytime we see twins
Whenever someone ask the question, “how many children do you have?”
The list is endless...her memory is never far from our hearts. Her impact on our life has changed us forever. God has used Gracie’s life to mold us in so many ways.
We try not to focus on the events that took place January 9, 2008. Instead on The anniversary Gracie went home to be with Jesus, we choose to believe in hope and know that "God has a special plan for every life." Deeply grateful for His love, comfort and promise of Eternity.
A book that has always spoke directly to my heart is, Safe in the arms of God by John MacArthur.
John MacArthur shares that through our trials, pain and suffering, God works through us and we will learn some eternal valuable lessons and grow spiritually and eternally. There is so much truth to what is written because Adam and I feel so strongly that these are the very things we went through and still do since Gracie’s passing..
WE:
Examine our own hearts
Put our full trust in the Lord
Check our priorities in life
Choose Hope
Evaluate what we love most
Place a whole new emphasis on praise and thanksgiving in our lives
Continue to lean on the Lord and ask Him to make us stronger and more able to persevere
Share our story which gives opportunities to minister to others
Our hearts will always deeply miss Gracie however, what an eternal blessing to deeply feel all those things on a level we never knew existed.
In the book John MacArthur also shares, "Scripture tells us that there are at least five keys to our being made whole after the death of a little one:
Joy
Patience
Wisdom
A submissive will
A believing heart
Because it has been five years, I sometimes feel self conscious about talking about Gracie or feeling the way I do when missing her. Then I remind myself OR God reminds me... We know God’s promises and He knows our heart. We are able to feel Joy. Patience. Wisdom. A submissive will. A believing heart. and yes, that does make us whole. Our hearts may not feel whole, but our spirits do. Gracie is our daughter who lives within us and we need not to feel self conscious when sharing about her and her sweet special soul.
It's important not to dwell in our sorrow or let it take over in our hearts, thankful through His grace we do not. We will, however, always keep Gracie's spirit alive in our hearts until we are reunited with her again. So thankful that we can have Gracie dwell within our hearts as we focus on our sweet little blessings, Luke and Abbey and their receiving the grace of Jesus.
“To be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8) Our hearts have perfect peace in knowing God was Gracie's personal Creator, He personally planned her destiny and He alone is the author and the finisher of our lives.
Until we meet again....we love you Gracie girl and miss you fiercely, but our hearts will stay focused on eternity and when we will be reunited.
Mommy and Daddy
