Catching up --- AGAIN!

Well it's almost embarrassing... it been over a month since I last posted anything on my blog. It's a fact not a confession. I have been running around with my head cut off. And lets face it - Facebook is more fun. Still my blog is my way of keeping up with myself. I can say look in the archives and see when we went.. or did... So at least I know what I've done.
The first part of January flew past before we noticed and then came the last week... January 24 was a normal Saturday. We woke up and Troy had already left to go fishing. Troy was planning to be home around noon. I got a phone call at 10:30 letting us know that Grampa wasn't doing well and if we wanted to see him alive we should get to the nursing home. So Jonna took Gramma and I waited for Troy to get home. We dropped our boys off at our dear friends house. (Thanks again Dan and Sharra) When we got to the nursing home Grampa was lying there in his bed with an oxygen mask on. We could see he was laboring to breathe. As the day wore on, with all of us there he seemed to be hanging in there. Dave and Kathy, Jay and Kendra, Jonna, Troy and myself, Tim and Jamie, all of us gathered in the room... Grampa seemed to gain a little strength, as if to say I know that you are all here. Bedtime rolled around and he was stable so it was decided that we would all go home and go to bed.
The next day we returned to the nursing home to be with Grampa. We could see that he wasn't going to be with us much longer. As we sat there we just prayed that God would come and hold Grampa's hand. We gathered around his bed and Troy and I dang "I Will Meet You In The Morning" and as he was taking his last few breaths Troy prayed aloud, just thanking the Lord for Grampa's life and his example. And then God just took him... The presence of the Lord was so strong in the room there... such a sweet and gentle feeling that could not be denied. It was so obvious that God Himself had been there and escorted His creation to be by His side.
It was so precious to have witnessed it; bittersweet. Then telling the boys was very difficult; but a tangible way of showing the boys heaven is real; and we do need to be prepared. But most of all I think it was nice to be able to show them that death doesn't not have to be goodbye and it doesn't have to be all tears; but rather a celebration and a time of rejoicing that there is another loved one waiting for us in Heaven.
We are in revival this week with Eric Heimleck. (I have no idea how to spell the man's name) The Lord had been faithful to us. He has spoken to hearts and refreshed many. I pray that we will continue to keep our hearts open and mind the Lord.
Michael has the most tender heart. He has told us that he has given his heart to the Lord. Tonight he went to the altar because he said he "didn't know what the feeling in his heart meant." I asked him later what he asked Jesus to do for him, he told me, "I asked him to take out what the feeling was and tell it to me. I asked Him to show me that stones and turn them into paths that I can walk on; and the rest of the time I was up there I just blew kisses to Jesus. Because it took a long time for everyone else to be done."
Lord, help to be faithful to his little heart.