Showing posts with label Sid Harms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sid Harms. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Grandpa's Going Away Party
Click here to link to the video of Sid Harms' memorial service. It was such an honor to be present to celebrate his life.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Grandpa's Goodbye Party
I work out my theology as I try to explain the realities of life and death to our girls.
They just take these painful things at face value. Grandpa was sick, but he's not sick anymore. He's in heaven now, so he can't come visit us.
We will miss him, but he's happy with Jesus.
This past weekend, with many, many others who were touched by his beautiful life and ministry, we honored the man most called, "Pastor Sid."
It was Elizabeth who first so aptly described the purpose for our weekend away. You're going to "Grandpa's goodbye party," she said matter-of-factly.
And I knew she was right.
God is good. Pain, suffering, hard and loss are real.
Husbands, Fathers and Grandpas die..."Should we send him a Bible?" they ask.
No honey, He has the Word Himself.
I want to give them an explanation. To reason it out and integrate it. And while I grapple to find the words, they simply see the truth.
Grandpa is where he most wants to be. With his beloved Savior. Whole. Forever.
Why wouldn't we throw him a party?
He was a man, worthy of the honor he received. A man who lived out his faith every day and gave glory to God through every mountain and valley of his life. A husband who honored his wife and wooed her with a pure love during every season of their marriage. A father who cherished his children and grandchildren, and prioritized his family, while still making everyone he met feel like an old and treasured friend. He lived a life of service, always drawing in, loving, caring and encouraging. Every day he acted a lot like Jesus.
So we celebrated him. We cried over our loss, not his. And we were blessed to see first hand the far reaches of his ministry and the impact of his life. Truly, heaven celebrated.
And as the day drew to a close, we all agreed...
it was the best sad day ever.
They just take these painful things at face value. Grandpa was sick, but he's not sick anymore. He's in heaven now, so he can't come visit us.
We will miss him, but he's happy with Jesus.
This past weekend, with many, many others who were touched by his beautiful life and ministry, we honored the man most called, "Pastor Sid."
It was Elizabeth who first so aptly described the purpose for our weekend away. You're going to "Grandpa's goodbye party," she said matter-of-factly.
And I knew she was right.
God is good. Pain, suffering, hard and loss are real.
Husbands, Fathers and Grandpas die..."Should we send him a Bible?" they ask.
No honey, He has the Word Himself.
I want to give them an explanation. To reason it out and integrate it. And while I grapple to find the words, they simply see the truth.
Grandpa is where he most wants to be. With his beloved Savior. Whole. Forever.
Why wouldn't we throw him a party?
He was a man, worthy of the honor he received. A man who lived out his faith every day and gave glory to God through every mountain and valley of his life. A husband who honored his wife and wooed her with a pure love during every season of their marriage. A father who cherished his children and grandchildren, and prioritized his family, while still making everyone he met feel like an old and treasured friend. He lived a life of service, always drawing in, loving, caring and encouraging. Every day he acted a lot like Jesus.
So we celebrated him. We cried over our loss, not his. And we were blessed to see first hand the far reaches of his ministry and the impact of his life. Truly, heaven celebrated.
And as the day drew to a close, we all agreed...
it was the best sad day ever.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
So far...Ava Loves Steroids!
Ava's been doing well since coming home. While her sisters, her parents and her nanny have been dropping like flies around her, she is still acting well, so keep the prayers coming! In addition, she has not had any seizures, she's taking all of her daytime feedings by mouth and her breathing has completely normalized. Because she got everyone worked up, she got to bring home two new machines with her from the hospital. She has been wearing the apnea monitor (at night) and pulse oxometer (night & naps) but so far hasn't set off any alarms!
We remain on quarantine, so Mom (thank God she's here!) and I do costume changes many times a day in order to keep the girls germs away. The checker at the grocery store must have thought I was preparing for biochemical warfare with all the sterile gloves, masks, and bleach products I bought today. While she was freaked out at first, Elizabeth is finally comfortable with me wearing a mask, so let's hope it all works!
Ava is definitely still sleeping a great deal but does show us her eyes at least a few times a day for 30 minutes or so. I didn't get a weight today, but I imagine she's gaining since she has only had one episode of vomiting since coming home. All in all, it's a good report!
A touching story from today: Since one of our pastors recently broke his foot, Ruby and I were talking about how difficult that must be for his family. We brainstormed about all the ways our Daddy is helpful around the house now, but couldn't be if he had broken his foot. Ruby looked up at me and said, "It would be ok mama, because Granna would just come stay with us to help us out!" apparently she has the best grandmas in the world and their willingness to swoop in during a crisis is simply a matter of fact. What a blessing.
Matt is still recovering from this bug, but is blessed to be able to be a help to his mom during this time. His brother was there and left, and his two other siblings will arrive this week. Everyone will gather on Saturday, March 3rd, to honor his dad with a memorial service at their home church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship. Sid Harms was a man truly worthy of the honor he will receive. It was my privilege and great blessing to call him Dad.
Thank you for your continues prayers, emails, words of encouragement during this time. We feel so very loved.
We remain on quarantine, so Mom (thank God she's here!) and I do costume changes many times a day in order to keep the girls germs away. The checker at the grocery store must have thought I was preparing for biochemical warfare with all the sterile gloves, masks, and bleach products I bought today. While she was freaked out at first, Elizabeth is finally comfortable with me wearing a mask, so let's hope it all works!
Ava is definitely still sleeping a great deal but does show us her eyes at least a few times a day for 30 minutes or so. I didn't get a weight today, but I imagine she's gaining since she has only had one episode of vomiting since coming home. All in all, it's a good report!
A touching story from today: Since one of our pastors recently broke his foot, Ruby and I were talking about how difficult that must be for his family. We brainstormed about all the ways our Daddy is helpful around the house now, but couldn't be if he had broken his foot. Ruby looked up at me and said, "It would be ok mama, because Granna would just come stay with us to help us out!" apparently she has the best grandmas in the world and their willingness to swoop in during a crisis is simply a matter of fact. What a blessing.
Matt is still recovering from this bug, but is blessed to be able to be a help to his mom during this time. His brother was there and left, and his two other siblings will arrive this week. Everyone will gather on Saturday, March 3rd, to honor his dad with a memorial service at their home church, Abundant Life Christian Fellowship. Sid Harms was a man truly worthy of the honor he will receive. It was my privilege and great blessing to call him Dad.
Thank you for your continues prayers, emails, words of encouragement during this time. We feel so very loved.
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