September

It is a bittersweet time of year. The temperature is cool and crisp, the beautiful fall colors are beginning to show throughout the hills, and the rush of summer is winding down. Every year, though my thoughts turn back to a time that forever brought changes to our family. It is 19 years ago that a very dedicated and faithful husband and father of 3 wonderful girls departed from earth to a home prepared in heaven. He would have been 65 years old now and I can't help but wonder all that would have transpired had multiple myloma not been diagnosed in1992.
I am comforted, though, to think back and remember a statement Dennis made that assured me of his faith and belief in God. He said, if he was given many more years of life on the earth it would be wonderful to spend them with his girls and watch them grow up, but if not, he said he would be going to a beautiful place beyond this earth and he was ready for that, too.
I know there was rejoicing in heaven when his girls professed to serve God, I know there is rejoicing as we pray, sing songs, and meet to worship God, and I know there is rejoicing in Heaven when little Zane is in meeting, and being brought up in a Godly home.
He would be very proud of  his family and what each of his girls have accomplished on this earth. I also know his priority was to be an example of faith and trust in God. How thrilled he would be to hear each testimony and see how each of his girls have conducted their life with integrity and class throughout high school, college, and now into adult life. (He always said, each one was beautiful inside and out)
So, each fall I reflect back on those tender years. To be thankful for the time we had together and for the strength and faith to go forward. Each year brings challenges as we adapt and adjust to changes around us. One constant we value is faith in the living God, and had the privilege of knowing that through this faith Dennis could face the future with peace and anticipation.