Hi, I'm Karen. I am a Christ Follower. The definition of Christian has gotten murky in recent years, so Christ Follower is clearer, I think. I have a wonderful husband named Ken and we have been married 34 years. He too is a Christ Follower. We also have two grown daughters who give us joy and blessing.
Our family recently has had to process the unexpected loss of my Mother in Law. She was 80 and not in perfect health, but her death came as a surprise to us all. You always have it laid out in your mind how the scenario will happen. It never does. I'm not really sure why we even bother to "work it out" ahead of time. I think it's probably our human nature to have some illusion of control over our circumstances.
My Mother in Law was also a Christ Follower. I'd say she was the spiritual leader of the family, always active in her church, studying the Bible and teaching children about Jesus. That lady knew her scripture. She would listen to many ministers on the radio and it often was her spiritual lifeline. She wasn't the perfect Mom or Mother-in-Law at times. She often struggled with getting victory over difficult circumstances in her life. She loved Jesus, though, and always came back to that truth.
She would sit and play the piano on her upright Steinway. It was precious to her. I think it was hers from a small child. She loved the history of her family and ALL the mementos that came along with that. She had a hard time letting go of most of those things. It used to frustrate me that she held on to so much, but then I look around my house and see that I have no room to talk.
I am grateful for the wonderful mother she was to my husband. There have been some things I've had to "train" him in that she somehow missed. :-) Maybe it was more that he listened to me and not her, I'm sure. I'm really just joking as he is a gift to me. We are excited to know that we will see her again some day. We are confident of that. I will even get to meet her mother and father that she spoke so highly of. I'm so glad we will have eternity to get to know all the people and stories that we missed out on here on earth. I think there will be tears of joy.
She had a life well spent.
She had a life well spent.
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You can learn more about Karen on her blog, Elderberry Street