Billy Graham notes that when the great saint Joseph Everett was dying, he said, "GLORY! GLORY! GLORY!" and continued exclaiming "GLORY!" for over twenty-five minutes until he was whisked away by angels to the gates of heaven. ~ copied

Our sister Kayla, (1952-1979)

Okay. I know I am running late, but, it is still morning, therefore, I can give you a hearty hello and welcome to another day here at the ole blogger ranch, this one coming to you from my upstairs office on this Thursday, June 26, 2025. June 26, 1979 was when our baby sister Kayla breathed her last. I've written many times about her testimony over her last 18 months and I look forward to seeing her again at the end of my time here, which, contrary to the wishes of some who would rather not even think about it, it is relatively fast approaching. The wife and I just returned from a memorial service for a lady who had been a longtime member of our local assembly (local church). The lady we honored had a full life, 85 years in her sojourn here. She had been a faithful representative of her Savior in her interacting with others, in her family, in her business and in her ordinary going about each day. That's what I call a good testimony. On our way home we stopped by the pharmacy. Are you getting this pattern yet? Memorial services, pharmacy pickups, and, medical appointments, they do become much of how we fill in our time in and around these parts. I suppose I will not be having myself one of those huge home cooked meals since the first set of numbers from my blood work were flagged as being on the wrong side of the ledger. I still await my doctor's comments but this is not my first time to read the reports and come to think about it, it's not my first rodeo, but the rodeos I have attended were as an observer not as a participant. I did participate in a number of freeze out competitions where you ride down the road in super cold weather hanging out the window with no shirt to see who could stand it the longest. That may have been a type of rodeo but I'm not so sure, however, I was for many years as a teenager the undisputed freeze out champion. Mind over matter. If you don't mind it doesn't matter, or something like that. There you were. Wondering if I have ever amounted to anything. Freeze Out Champion. Trophy? Nope. Just bragging rights and I am still exercising them to this very day. (100 mph down Hwy 171, temperature below freezing, several hanging out of the windows but only one stayed the longest. Yep. Pretty cool, or cold, if you will.)

 

This is not a silly day per se but it does goes in that direction at times. One of the songs at the memorial service today was from Casting Crowns, entitled Scars in Heaven and it is one I identify with while at the same time not being certain how it all works in terms of what all occurs when we get to our real home. Here's the chorus:

 

The only scars in Heaven, they won't belong to me and you
There'll be no such thing as broken, and all the old will be made new
And the thought that makes me smile now, even as the tears fall down
Is that the only scars in Heaven are on the hands that hold you now

 

Look it up on YouTube. It's a good one to think on, especially for those of us who are well into our final years. I know. I could live to be 100 which is another 21 years, but, that, my friend, is in God's Hands and I trust Him to always do right and whatever He decides is okay with me. What say you? Until next time I leave you with a prayer of thanksgiving and one that seeks God's best for each and every one. Amen.