It’s been a little over a month since Lynne went to be with Jesus, and I wanted to write one final update. 

The main reason for this is to THANK YOU! This has, without a doubt, been the hardest thing that we have gone through as a family. However, in the greatest darkness, YOU have walked alongside us, supported us, and helped us continue to see the light. We have felt your prayer and love so strongly in the past 11 months (and especially in the last month); we are forever grateful. At Lynne’s celebration of life, we had 37 bouquets of flowers/plants/etc —-not only were they beautiful, but to us it was a symbol of the love and support we’ve been surrounded with all along. In the beginning of all of this, I tried to keep track of gifts—meals, gift cards, money, etc. I did a decent job for the first two weeks, but after that, there was honestly no way to keep track of all of the wonderful things you all did for us. So, in lieu of a real card (let’s be honest, I’d probably never mail them out anyway), here’s your thank you card:

Thanks for praying, fasting, listening, encouraging.

Thanks for buying t-shirts, flowers, meals, edible arrangements.

Thanks for making meals, conversations, and our days a little easier.

Thanks for your generosity—gift cards,  money given to go towards medical bills or special family nights. 

Thanks for sacrificing for us. 

Thank you for your support—every card, text, facebook or caring bridge comment. 

Thanks for doing things to brighten our day. 

Thanks for coming to Lynne’s celebration of life. Many of you traveled. Spent Money. Had to rearrange your plans. 

Thanks for taking time to be with us to celebrate her precious life. 

(BTW, our family has talked many times about how that was a special night—one we’ll never forget.)

We are all doing okay. Good things are happening. God is holding us closely. More than ever, we rejoice in the hope of Heaven. But, if you’ve lost someone, you know that eventually the noise and events slow down, but the grief stays. We ask for your prayers to continue for us, because while we are living our lives and while we are thankful for what we have, we are acutely aware that someone is missing.  I don’t know if this will feeling will ever go away. It may dull with time, but I suspect that to some extent, we’ll always be looking over our shoulder for her or listening for her boisterous laugh. 

Mostly, we want to thank Jesus for carrying us through every minute of the last 11 months. HE is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. And WE WILL NOT FEAR even when the earth gives way. 

There will be a day when there is no more death, no more pain, no more crying or sadness. For that day, we anxiously await—to see our Savior and be reunited with those who have gone before. But, in the meantime, until everything that’s sad becomes untrue, we praise the one gave us Lynne for 56 wonderful years and look forward to seeing her again. What a hope we have in Jesus!

God is able!

The Horne Family