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| I love babies hands ... and Grannies hands. This is the hand of one of my grand babes!! |
Today is my first born grandson's 9th birthday in Heaven. Happy Birthday Jay Benjamin Klassen! Oh how I miss you sweet one! I began my day talking with the LORD about Jay. Oh how I miss that boy! But I can only imagine that he is having the time of his life with the LORD. I know people often talk about all the babies in Heaven, and obviously I don't know other than I feel deeply that Jay is not a baby in heaven, but a grown boy!! A couple things have given me that strong sense, but you can ask me about that sometime - about the vision God gave me at Sunnyside a few years ago.
I took the day off today. No retreaters (and to be honest, I didn't have to turn anyone away anyhow, as a Monday isn't usually the busiest of the week days). I sort of had some plans, and yet, it didn't happen the way I thought but the way it happened was wonderful anyhow!
My day began with my QT with the LORD (quiet time) ... me and Him. My journal, and pen. And tears. Oh the tears came today. With the LORD ... with someone who just recently lost their sweet daughter (just like Jay, she was born silently) ... tears with Shawna when she came by with flowers (oh sweet Shawna, how you blessed us) and then tears with Alvin on our way to Sunnyside cemetery to lay some daisies on Jay's grave. (I do this for me, and to honor his life).
The middle of my day was full of adventure and love. Helping out in the adventure my kids Josh and Leah and boys went on down the river. And then spending time watching my youngest grandson Maverick for a couple hours. And then later, we took our little convertible bug and went with a bouquet of daisies, to visit Jay's grave.
As we were at Sunnyside, Alvin had to make a phone call so he was away from where Jay's grave is. I sat there - looking, remembering and then spent some time talking out loud with the Lord, and then sang to the song on the radio.
And now, the day is done ... and actually it is almost an hour into July 25th.
Today was a very bittersweet day ... a day where (like many days past) incredible joy mixes with incredible sadness and grief HOWEVER in the midst of it all, is the LORD.
During the middle part of my day - I did spend about 45 minutes with a coffee, my bible, journal and a book called WHISPERS OF REST and sat outside at Mountain Bean (my old stompin grounds). The blue sky, and wind, and sun on my face - oh, it was lovely. I just got the book, so I am just a little bit into it - and today the word was BREATHE ... and Breathe I did!
And oh it felt so good ...
Familiar in many ways ... it seems like it had been a while.
God knew that. I think He must have smiled when I "booked the day off" to just Breathe.
The Scripture was from Mark 6:31 where Jesus invites his disciples to "Come away with me by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile."
I had to smile when I read this chapter 3. Oh God, only you can make it seem so God-ordained.
Thank you for loving me so much that you invite me the same way you invited your disciples.
To just stop, come away with you, and rest.
So, out of today - with all its tears - its memories - its sadness - its joy.
Out of today - with all its adventure - and love.
I have come to the end of this day, July 24th - my grandson Jay Benjamin Klassen's 9th birthday in Heaven ... with a heart full of thanksgiving, and love, and praise.
I will end with my thoughts should you wish to keep reading!!
O LORD - I want to come away with you!
No one else ~
No distractions ~
Just you and me.
I want to delight in your Presence
and revel in your love.
My heart longs,
and is desperate for YOU.
The lover of my soul.
The ONE who calls me "Beloved"
YOU say "come away ... drop everything
the things you have planned
the things you feel obligated to
the things that suck the life out of you."
I hear you ~
I know your voice!
It is sweet like gentle rain
It sometimes sounds like the rushing wind.
I know your voice because I have heard you speak loud and clear
and audible (yes, even audible once)
I've heard your Voice and I know that coming away with you,
is nothing that can be described well enough in human tongue
It's refreshing
Renewing
Refueling
Refilling
Restoring
Its Resting so close in your arms that I feel You.
You say to come!
Come away with you.
Out of the hustle and bustle
fast paced over scheduled rat race.
Come away with YOU to a quiet place
A place where I can breathe deeply and just be ...
and rest a while.
You say Come Away
Not only do you call me Beloved
but you want me to quit striving ...
quit doing ...
and just be the Beloved you have created me to be.
Come away
with Me
by Yourself
to a quiet place
and REST (Mark 6:31)
Breathe deeply.
Just
Breathe!
PS: And if you want, you can always check the website and see for yourself again, just how perfect and beautiful my grandson Jay Benjamin was!! Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!! This Granny misses you so much, and loves you - to Heaven and Back!
www.jeremyhiebert.ca/jaybenjaminklassen
