Can you hear me? It’s one of the mysteries that we deal with on this side of the gulf we call death. How much are you aware of what is going on down here? I wondered today if you could hear me. Could  you see?

If you could hear, I would say thank you for obeying the Lord when you struggled with him in prayer about our dating relationship and he told you to give me a chance. Thank you for being so humble that you were happy about a wedding dress I bought you at J.C. Penny’s. I took it out of the closet the other day. It’s still there.
Thank you for being such a good sport when we were at our “cabin” on our honeymoon, and after buying TV dinners, we found that what we thought was an oven was in actuality a refrigerator. Remember trying to cook TV dinners on a stove?

Thank you for those difficult years when I was in school and working and you were such a loving and caring mother. Thank you for being willing to trust the Lord when we had to eat dinner on the living room floor with the cockroaches, and you stuck it out. Thank you for the many ways you supported and stood up for me.

We shared many pretty cool times. It was an amazing time for us to be able to live in Switzerland. Thanks for trying to hard to learn German. Even when you told someone that I had resurrected instead of recovered from my cold. Hahaha! We all got a good laugh out of that.

Thank you for working hard at learning the new culture, walking into the village every day to buy bread. Learning to be an excellent house frau.

Thank you for the years that you poured your life into those dear folks  who were developmentally disabled that you worked with. They all knew you loved them… it just showed all the time. I was looking at some of those pictures today. You made them smile a lot.

Thank you for trying so hard to be a good pastor’s wife, when we know at times you wanted to just punch some people right in the kisser for the way they treated us. But you prayed for them, and stuck it out. Thanks, Honey…Thanks.

I was looking at the pictures of our prayer journey to Morocco. Thanks for being an adventurer – even more than me. when we had not idea what we were ordering! Oh the adventures we had…

Thanks, Honey, for all the things you did that no one will every know.. except us, to love your children, trying to help them grow up to love the Lord. I know  how hard it was when you put Jonathan on the bus from Iowa to Florida when he left for the Navy, three days after High School Graduation. I know the tears you shed sitting on his bed.

Thanks how you encouraged Esther to  get involved in drama…you were always there to support and encourage her. You were so very proud of her. I know she was your little movie star.

Thanks for being so faithful in praying and holding down the fort when I was off traveling or busy with ministry. I know you struggled to know what your part was… but you knew it was to support me. Thanks.

Thanks for how solid your faith in the Lord has been all those years, even when you had no answers to all those questions you had. You had more questions than anyone I ever knew!  I am sure all of those are answered now that you are with your Jesus.

I looked through so many of our picture albums, and I was reminded of all the things we were privileged to do, and see, and experience in our nearly forty years together. Thanks for making it all very special by your presence.
Looking at all those pictures… can you hear me? I miss you a lot. A whole lot. And I would not take away from you what you have now… I just want to say…

Thanks, Honey. I think I even love  you more now. But I have to stop now… my eyes actually hurt from all the tears that are streaming down my cheeks…tears of thanksgiving that we had all those years together. They weren’t perfect!! HA! But they were good, because of you. I hope you can hear me