There are no words to properly express our thanks for your faithful love, prayers and acts of kindness. You have been the hands and feet of Christ to us and we have felt His love so warmly through you. Thank you for your visits, food, cards, messages, Bible verses, songs, flowers, gifts, trips to see us/Dad from out of state, childcare, carting kids around, animal care, and I'm sure I'm still missing things. 

We have been overwhelmed with the kindness of so many over these last few days, weeks, months and years. It's been a long and sometimes difficult road. We have come to the end of the road that Dad was on with us and are just one week into the next portion of the part that we travel without him. The words of Dad from just last week came back to me today, "It just feels like it's selfish of me to leave you." Of course, it wasn't selfish at all, but I do feel a certain amount of jealousy that Dad is in the presence of Jesus where all his tears are wiped away while we are here in this sad world with all our tears and heartaches. It isn't fair. But what is even more unfair is that Jesus, the sinless Man, died so that we do not need to bear eternal death. It's all about perspective, sometimes.  We grieve with so much hope, but there is still the reality of today. What now? What tomorrow? I think it's a situation where you take things a day at a time and sometimes even one moment at a time, but as creatures who like to plan ahead, that can be hard. It's hard to be okay with the fact that you're not okay. I think the apostle Paul captured our feelings very well in II Cor. 4:8-10 where he says, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

I know that David's Army will not stop caring just because Dad is gone, and for that we are so grateful. Dad was a special man and had a bunch of very special friends. But the one Friend who made all the difference in his life is the one Friend that we all need the most: Jesus. He is the only One Who, at the end of the day, makes all the difference in the world. It is our prayer that each of you will know Him and put your trust in Him. He is the Good Shepherd who, "thru thorny ways, leads to a joyful end."

Obviously, since Dad is gone, this Caringbridge page is coming to an end. We still have some special stories of ways (big and small) that God really touched our hearts in the weeks before and the days after Dad's home-going. I'd like to share a few of those eventually and I'll probably post them here. Dad would've wanted God's goodness to be on full display, so I'll get around to it in the weeks or months ahead when I am in need of a quiet moment to sit and be reminded of God's love for us. This Caringbridge page was a blessing and a joy to me. It helped me so much to sit and process through my emotions in a busy time of life. Over the last few days, I had many people thank me for writing on Dad's Caringbridge page. The reality is though, if I didn't have readers, I wouldn't have written. It was because you guys cared so much for Dad and all of us that we needed to let you know what was going on. So thank you for reading. Thank you for wanting to know. 

The very last thing (I promise! 🙃), Mom agreed that it was okay for me to share the last picture of our original family of 5 with you. Kailey took it, just 7 minutes before Dad passed. Those last minutes that we spent earth-side as a family will always be a treasured memory. As horrible as death is, it is beautiful too. There is something so amazing about seeing a believer pass from this life into the next. There truly is no fear in death - it does not get the last word! If Dad was here, he'd say this right along with the Psalmist: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

Praise the LORD!