Finality

This weekend I flew to Pennsylvania with my parents and my grandfather to do my grandmother's funeral. It was a huge honor to be able to do the service. The service was at the Laemersville Grace Brethren Church, which was also very special to me because that church was founded by my great-grandfather Rogers, who led my great-grandfather Lingenfelter to the Lord. Furthermore, my grandfather helped build that church when he was fourteen. It truly is my spiritual home.

The burial was at the Brumbaugh cemetary, where my grandmother is buried next to her parents (her mother was Elma Grace Brumbaugh) and grandparents and other ancestors. It was very cool to be there and to be part of everything.

My grandfather is suffering terribly from confusion and memory loss, possibly alzheimers. Frequently he cannot remember that grandma has died, or where he is, or where he is going etc. The great blessing is that when he asks and I tell him that grandma is "in glory" he is happy to know he does not have to worry about her. But even more important is showing him the pictures of the funeral, and the pictures of her casket next to the tombstone. This puts a finality to everything we didn't have before the burial, and seem to put him at rest.

I am grateful to God for the peace he granted my grandfather this weekend, and for the mercy he showed us as we traveled across the country. God is good!

Joel