Last week Jarrod and I were having a discussion on beach sunsets.?? I told him that to really paint a sunset in (not that I am an expert by any means),?? you needed gradient colors that filtered through the whole scene including the clouds.?? I did a quick play (the pic above) and sent it to him.

I had no intention of posting this??- it wasn’t a play I spent much time on – but when I went to look for post pictures tonight I saw this first and it spoke to me because it was a great word picture of what I intended to write about.

This morning just after 1:00 AM my Great Aunt Elsie went to meet Jesus.?? All day long I have had the song by Mark Schultz playing in my head.?? When I went on my jog tonight it was all I wanted to listen to.?? It isn’t on YouTube for you to hear but here are the lyrics:

Cloud of Witnesses
By Mark Schultz

We watched them runnin’ down the aisles,
Children’s time, Sunday morning.
The preacher asked them who they loved,
They all smiled and started pointing to their mom,
Their dad,
The teacher from their kindergarten class;
And each and every one
Had just come from

A cloud of witnesses
That would see them through the years
Cheer them with a smile
And pray them through the tears
A cloud of witnesses that would see them to the end,
And shower them with love that never ends
A cloud of witnesses.

They stuck together through the years,
The best of friends faith could foster
So when they found out one of them
Had heard the news
He’d lost his father,
They ran to him
And prayed and put their hands upon his head,
And slowly one by one
They’d all become

A cloud of witnesses
As they sent above a prayer
They took a hold of hands and
circled ’round a friend
A cloud of witnesses with a faith just like a rock,
They helped him give his father back to God
As a cloud of witnesses

So when it comes the time
That heaven calls
They’ll come running to see the ones who’ve gone before,
And made the journey home to find waiting for them at the finish line,
Cheerin happily they will run
and they will see

A could of witnesses
Lined up on a street of gold
As they run the final mile.
That leads them to a throne.
And through the cloud of witnesses
They see God upon the throne.
And as they fall into His arms,
They know they’re home in
A cloud of witnesses,
Surrounded by a??cloud of witnesses.

We watched them runnin down the aisles
Children’s time
Sunday morning.

All day I have imagined her reunion.?? My grandfather – her brother – has been home since 1991.?? I miss him terribly and I know she has too.?? She saw him yesterday.?? Her husband – gone over 15 years – she saw him yesterday.?? Both her parents.?? Her daughter who went on ahead first of cancer at only 40 years of age – waiting for her.?? SHE MET JESUS!?? (Yes that should have been listed first – I just made it the grand finale for effect hee hee).?? I spent the day wondering what was going on with all of them.?? I saw her running and all who ran to meet her.?? She was a passionate woman who lived very dedicated to her many callings.?? We shared many of the same passions and even at her advanced age, she??continued emailing me??and encouraging??me to STAND UP (especially for the babies).?? A life well lived.?? A woman well loved.???? As Dad said in his blog yesterday (http://papaponderings.blogspot.com/), we didn’t lose her.?? We know exactly where she is.