Signs of Love

Thank you to everyone who sent cards, flowers and/or joined us for Alan's thanksgiving service (and thank you to the young strong guys who lifted the boat in and out - and the girls who did the flowers!) We were really touched by the amount of people that came to join us in saying farewell to Alan and to give thanks for his life, and to those that helped us behind the scenes. 

Looking back, there are so many ways that God was preparing us for what was ahead, and sharing His love for us:

We were in the garden and Alan was playing with Ayla and Logan - an exaggerated hide and seek game! I heard a little voice in me saying "video this, you won't see him again like this for a while." and a picture came in to my head of one of the last photos of my Dad before he died with youngest grandson Matthew. It's one of those things you do and ponder in your heart what it all means. 

In the Old Testament of the Bible people showed their love for God by sacrificing something precious on an altar. I felt that God was saying to me to lay Alan on God's altar. I was hoping it would be an Isaac outcome and God would give him back to me for a while longer. Abraham thought God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac - I might be a heretic but I'm not convinced he heard right as God had previously condemned all the child sacrifice going on in the other nations around! Anyway, Abraham was going to prove his love for God by doing just that and then God provided a replacement sacrifice and gave Isaac back to him. 

Ayla sometimes enjoys playing on the Children's Bible App on my phone and recently she was doing the story of Abraham. The phrase that kept coming up was " and God said trust me." - that has been resounding in my mind time and time again. 

One day, coming back from hospital, I asked Alan if he would like to go out around the seafront. We went past the Ships & Castles entrance and a little deer popped up, crossed the road and disappeared on the other side. We've got a thing about deer when we're travelling - always asking each other "have you seen a deer, dear?" It seemed a very silly thing, but just seemed like God's expression of love joining us in our silliness. 

We have so much to be thankful for. We managed an outing for my birthday in May to St Mawes, where Alan took the grandchildren sailing and chased them around the beach. I am grateful that we didn't have to watch him suffering for a long time, and that my outgoing, full of life husband was with me right up until God's heavenly team took him to his new address. 

Love Sue