Daddy and the "Big Picture"

My dear, sweet daddy turned 90 on November 2nd. We celebrated it with lots of cake, love and family. He loved it. Then, on November 8th, he woke up in the morning, saying he didn't feel "Quite up to par", took a deep breath, and joined his Savior and my mom in heaven. It was unexpected, but he went quietly and peacefully, just as he lived his life. I will miss him dearly. I was a "Daddy's girl" all of my life. 

So on Monday, we again celebrated my dad. Old friends and loved ones came to remember the life of this quiet, loving man. How blessed we were to have him as the leader of our family for so many years. Here's a photo of some of our family. (That's Jordan, btw, standing in front of my husband, 4th from the left, in the turquoise plaid. Some might remember praying for him after he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan almost 5 years ago. He's doing well!)

"I will think of him as I always knew him; kind, loving thoughtful of everyone but himself, a blessing wherever he went and a strength and comfort to all with whom he came in contact. A constant example of all that a husband, father, and Christian should be." 

(This quote was about the missionary Hudson Taylor, but it fits my dad perfectly).

So I want to tell a little story. Some might call this irony, but stay with me for just a minute. This Fall, for the first time in many years, I signed up to help with junior high girls at my church. It's a very large church, and they paired up leaders. I was thankful that they paired me up with a young woman who had experience, because I felt out of my element. We bonded quickly, though we had only met a few times before. After my dad passed away last week, I called her, and her gentle compassion meant so much.

We couldn't know that 4 days later, her own father would pass away and she would be calling me. This pairing seemed so God ordained, and we marveled that He saw the big picture far in advance of us. However the other night she shared with me that our lives had even more in common than I knew. You see, she told me that she was born on the very day my husband and I were married. Some may think one has nothing to do with the other, and this is just coincidence. I don't see it that way. I am realizing more and more that God sees the "big picture" in ways we can never understand. He doesn't see backward or forward, He just sees aerially, and He says that is enough, that He's got "this", whatever "this" may be. He knew on the day she was born and I was married, that we would someday lose our dads the same week. He knew that we would become friends, though she is young enough to be my daughter. He keeps teaching me that He knows what the future holds and my job is simply to trust. 

As we prepared for both of our dads memorial services this week, I am reminded that ours is a "big picture" God, and I'm so thankful for that, and for a friend named Tammy, who has helped me see that He is so much bigger than my mind can possibly fathom.

 If anyone remembers the post about my mom's passing in August of 2014, they will notice that when I was preparing for her service, I found a very important letter from my grandmother, written to my mom, on the day before my grandmother died, which also "happened" to be my anniversary date, although that time, 30 years earlier. As I am writing this tonight, I am reminded that nothing in our lives is by chance, that God has all of the details worked out, and sometimes He gives a glimpse of just how much attention He pays to even the smallest of details, just to reassure us that His word is true, and heaven is real.

“Life is but a Weaving”
“My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.” 
― Corrie ten Boom

I love you Daddy. I know I will see you again!