Wednesday, September 10, 2014

More random thoughts about Dad...

Tomorrow we will have the official service for Dad. As the family gathered tonight I could not help but think of how Dad would have been so happy to see Ashley reading to two of her younger cousins. Dad would have loved to see Joshua riding bikes with the younger grandchildren. He got such joy in just watching his "great 8" play together. I stood out front for a few minutes tonight and I could almost see Dad sitting there in a lawn chair watching the children ride bikes. I heard the dog begin barking as one of the children came inside, and imagined for a moment that he would come hobbling up the stairs. I can swear that I still hear his voice when I walk into a room "Heaoo Matt!". I just can't believe he is gone from this earth. Now that I am done being selfish, I am so glad that he has graduated to his reward. He is with the Lord. As for the service tomorrow, please pray that I will be able to speak what God has put on my heart. Please pray that hearts will be stirred to salvation. God can.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Seasons of life

For me, writing is therapy. I have gotten away from writing much due to the busyness of life, but at this time of loss I find it helps. I am glad that my dad (Meredith Tilden Jones) is now with the Saviour whom he has served for so many decades now. He fought cancer valiantly for over three years. Dad's earthly body was riddled with problems for the last 7 years or so, but now he has a new and glorified body in heaven. I am so thankful to know that his battle is over and that he's on the winning side. There has been a flood of emotions and thoughts over the last few days, and I know that they will continue to come. We cleaned out his room at the Hill House in North Bath yesterday. This was difficult, as it was the last earthly place we were with him. Today we begin cleaning out his trailer. This will probably be very difficult as well. I truly cannot imagine how those with no hope deal with this. It is truly hard enough even knowing he is in heaven. Tonight we have our mid-week service at Bryant Pond Baptist Church. I am not sure how I will handle it, but we will be there, although with a guest preacher. Tomorrow we will be back here in Wiscasset with the family. Well....my Dad. He has been a faithful member of the Bible Baptist Church in Wiscasset since the very early 80's. Throughout his life he faced many difficult times. Through it all, he never complained, he just kept serving the Lord. When he found out he had type 2 diabetes, he did not complain (though he showed my brothers and I the needle he needed to give himself shots with and implored us to change our lifestyle so we wouldn't end up having to do that). When Dad found out that he needed a quadruple bypass, he did not complain. He had the surgery and kept serving God. When Dad found out that that nagging pain in his hip was prostate cancer that had spread into his bones, he did not complain, he just kept serving God. When he fell, tearing all the ligaments in his knee, requiring surgery and months of a cast and therapy, he did not complain, he just kept serving God. Do you see a theme here? I seem to catch myself complaining whenever a preference of mine is not met.... Dad was a great man. He is already missed. As a side note, I have all of his Bibles, and what a testament it is to his faithfulness to study the Word of God. Even in the midst of pain.

Browns to Montana