huge, beautiful oak trees are abundant here in the florida panhandle. when greg and i did the landscaping for our current house, we studied them in order to decide whether or not to plant them in our yard. we learned that they grow slowly and take root deeply. over the years, the roots become as deep and far-reaching in the ground as the tree becomes tall and wide, giving each tree incredible strength to endure the harshest of storms. this is good, because we also tend to have lots of hurricanes and tropical storms here on the coast.
eden state gardens, florida
i'm sure God created the oaks like that in order that they would endure the hurricanes, just as He has provided us with all the strength and grace we need to endure the storms we might face. it brings Him glory.
He could stop there, but it keeps getting better. in typical God fashion, even after He provides what we need, He still promises beauty, joy, and praise.
just barely over three months after losing jonathan, we have seen some of these promises come to fruition. jonathan may not be here physically anymore, but we obviously have not reached the end of his story. much of our heartache has been soothed over time with the continuous reassurance that jonathan's life had a wonderful purpose. the joy and praise that has come from this has helped to drown out the silence where there should be the cries of a 3 month old baby.
but life is moving quickly by. three months will become four, then five, and so on. i realize that as time goes on, the stories we hear of how jonathan's life has touched others will become much more infrequent, or even cease. yet i pray that because jonathan has become so deeply a part of our very beings, just like kate has, that our lives will continue to be shaped and molded in such a way that jonathan is a vital component of the process. that our family's story will never be the same because of jonathan's life. jonathan's story will continue because our family continues.
i don't know what our story will be. i leave that in the hands of the Storyteller.but i pray He will make it beautiful.
He promises to make it beautiful.
Thank you for that Lauren! It is hard to believe it has only been three months since Jonathan was born and passed away... it seems as though it has been a lifetime since beginning this extraordinary journey we have been on. Jonathan has meant so much to me and my family too; he was so precious. You are still in our prayers as always!
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteThe artist is a Canadian artist named Christy Dekoning and I found her on Etsy.com. She does beautiful watercolors of children. I sent her a few pictures and she chose the feet. Just look her up on Etsy and she can converse back and forth with you about what you want. Hope this helps! I'd love to see one of Jonathan. She was very kind and understanding of the unique situation and I think she would love to do one for you as well. Good luck!
I, for one, will never forget. He, through you, gives us all faith. God IS good.
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