![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/Ann_Sunset.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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:<\/p>\n
Cloud of Witnesses
\nBy Mark Schultz<\/p>\n
We watched them runnin’ down the aisles,
\nChildren’s time, Sunday morning.
\nThe preacher asked them who they loved,
\nThey all smiled and started pointing to their mom,
\nTheir dad,
\nThe teacher from their kindergarten class;
\nAnd each and every one
\nHad just come from<\/p>\n
A cloud of witnesses
\nThat would see them through the years
\nCheer them with a smile
\nAnd pray them through the tears
\nA cloud of witnesses that would see them to the end,
\nAnd shower them with love that never ends
\nA cloud of witnesses.<\/p>\n
They stuck together through the years,
\nThe best of friends faith could foster
\nSo when they found out one of them
\nHad heard the news
\nHe’d lost his father,
\nThey ran to him
\nAnd prayed and put their hands upon his head,
\nAnd slowly one by one
\nThey’d all become<\/p>\n
A cloud of witnesses
\nAs they sent above a prayer
\nThey took a hold of hands and
\ncircled ’round a friend
\nA cloud of witnesses with a faith just like a rock,
\nThey helped him give his father back to God
\nAs a cloud of witnesses<\/p>\n
So when it comes the time A could of witnesses We watched them runnin down the aisles 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\/<\/a>), we didn’t lose her.?? We know exactly where she is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mamas-diaries"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/911\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThat heaven calls
\nThey’ll come running to see the ones who’ve gone before,
\nAnd made the journey home to find waiting for them at the finish line,
\nCheerin happily they will run
\nand they will see<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nLined up on a street of gold
\nAs they run the final mile.
\nThat leads them to a throne.
\nAnd through the cloud of witnesses
\nThey see God upon the throne.
\nAnd as they fall into His arms,
\nThey know they’re home in
\nA cloud of witnesses,
\nSurrounded by a??cloud of witnesses.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nChildren’s time
\nSunday morning.<\/p>\n