Dear Friends,
Carol spent another peaceful night with the angel-nurses in hospice care. We continue to be grateful she feels no pain.
I opened my daily reading for yesterday from Max Lucado and read:
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain of wheat; but if it dies, it brings a good harvest. John 12:24
We do all we can to live and not die. God, however, says we must die in order to live. When you sow a seed, it must die in the ground before it can grow. What we see as the ultimate tragedy, he sees as the ultimate triumph.
And when a Christian dies, it's not a time to despair, but a time to trust. Just as the seed is buried and the material wrapping decomposes, so our body will be buried and will decompose. But just as the buried seed sprouts new life, so our body will blossom into a new body . . .
The seed buried in the earth will blossom in heaven. Your soul and body will reunite, and you will be like Jesus.
So . . . we must trust. While we wait.
Love,
Sally
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Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou are in my heart and mind and always with love.
In Rev. ch 1, when John fell at Jesus' feet, Jesus placed His right hand on John's head and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and... am now alive for ever and ever!"
What a glorious day that will be when we all join our Living Lord and live for ever and ever in His presence!
Love you, dear friend,
Peg - CBS
Psalm 73:23-28 ..Nevertheless I am continually with Thee; Thou hast taken hold of my right hand. With Thy counsel Thou wilt guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...But as for me, the nearness of God is my good..
ReplyDeleteHebrews 2:14-15 ..through his death (Jesus)rendered poweless him who had the power of death, that is the devil; and delivered those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Carol~
He has conquered the grave and set us free from the fear of death! As J.C. Ryle said: You are "ripe for glory". We will miss you dearly.
As I returned to working in Awana, I thought of you and the sweet times we shared together in that ministry. Your touch is everywhere and we thank God for your life.
Frank, Christine, Chip and Andrew~
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1). We love you and are praying for each of you.
Sally,
Thank you for your kindness in keeping us "near" to Carol these many months. We all appreciate you!
His peace,
Anita Stewart
Sally - that was beautiful and so well put. Thank you for sharing your heart and what you have learned through God's word. Thank you for your devotion to Carol and the family during this trial.
ReplyDeleteWe will pray that Carol continues to rest peacefully until the Lord calls her home.
Blessings,
Eric and Melissa (Cooper) Matthews
Sally- Please tell Carol and Frank that they remain in the daily prayers of their friends in NOLA. We very much appreciate your keeping everyone updated with all else you are doing for Carol and Frank.
ReplyDeleteTo Carol, Frank, Chip, Christine and Andrew-
ReplyDeleteHere is our King-David Crowder Band
From wherever spring arrives to heal the ground
From wherever searching comes
(The look itself a trace of what we’re looking for)
So be quiet now...and wait
The ocean is growing
The tide is coming in
Here it is...
Here is our King
Here is our love
Here is our God who’s come
To bring us back to Him
He is the One
He is Jesus
And what was said to the rose
To make it unfold
Was said to me here in my chest
So be quiet now...and rest
The ocean is growing
The tide is coming in
Here it is...
Majesty...
Finally...
Here
You are all in my thoughts and prayers. Sending you blessings and love. - Jennie Egbert
Psalm 30:5
"Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
Dear sweet Carol... I love you. And I miss you. I'm really looking forward to the next time I see you when I'll be expecting you to use the beautiful voice God is going to give you to greet me with a "welcome home" song. But until then, I'll entrust you to God's loving care and I'll wait until it's my turn to join you in the incredible life God has prepared for us ahead. I will see you soon dear friend.
ReplyDeleteDear Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou graced this earth with so much love, passion, kindness, guidance, counseling, warmth, cheer, hospitality, and beauty. You were a gift to so many and the Lord is calling you home. You will be so missed here on earth but never forgotten as we will always continue to celebrate you!
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day."
II Timonthy 4: 7-8
Take your beautiful crown upon your arrival!
Love, Mary Beth
Carol, Gracie and I just wanted you to know we are thinking of you.Thanks for being such a gracious and caring person for the many years we have known you. These are difficult times for all of us. Keep the faith, WE WILL SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!
ReplyDeleteLarry & Gracie Kibble
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteI hope you know that you are and will be in my thoughts and my heart for the rest of my life on earth. I will never forget the many things I have learned from you. I will never forget your smile, your graciousness, your enthusiasm, your kindness, your wisdom, your advice or your friendship. You always reminded me of an angel on earth. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I know your wonderful family is with you every moment and I know the Lord is at your side, helping you and your family through this difficult process.
Goodbye for now, my friend and Thank You for sharing a part of yourself with me. I feel priviledged to have known you. God Bless you and your family. I'll see you when I get there, and as Eric Clapton says,
Would you know my name
If I saw you in Heaven
Would it be the same
if I saw you in Heaven
Would you hold my hand
if I saw you in Heaven
Will you help me stand
if I saw you in Heaven.
Beyond the door
there's peace I'm sure.
And I know there'll be no more
Tears in Heaven.
Would you know my name
If I saw you in Heaven
Would it be the same
If I saw you in Heaven
I will be honored, to meet you in Heaven.
I'll Love You Forever,
Carol J.
Dearest Carol,
ReplyDeleteWe pray for you and Frank, Chip, Christine and Erik, Andrew, Ruth and Wayne as you receive the blessings of this life and His grace to guide you on your journey to heaven. I pray that you have a peaceful and restful night with the angels continuing to keep watch over you while you are here with us and to be with you as you depart from us. We have all been so blessed by your presence, your love and your faith and you will be with us in our hearts until we are all called to be together again according to God's plan and His timetable.
Much love and good night,
Lynne
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou don't know me, but my dear one, Dick B. is a friend and colleague of yours. He has often spoken of you with great admiration and affection, and more recently, with distress at your illness.
Last weekend, while visiting, he asked me to pull up your blogspot so that he could check up on you. Your devoted friend Sally has made this possible. I read her most recent postings, and several of the comments from people who obviously love you. I was so taken with this outpouring of love and prayer that I went back to the very first posting and read all...the postings and the comments.
I cannot tell you how profoundly moved I was; what a wonderful woman you are and how many lives you have influenced. It is clear that all kinds of people deeply care for and treasure you: family, colleagues, friends, friends of your children, and many others. What a testament you are to faith: faith in God, your family, and the essential goodness of life. I have come to admire you and your remarkable loving family and your angel-of-a- friend Sally. What a mark you have left on this Earth, and how you will leave it a better place. I regret that I did not get to know you in health, but am grateful for this window to know you through your blogs. Your spirit and trust in God are indomitable.
I know that the Lord will welcome you with open arms, and I pray that he will wrap those arms around your family and other loved ones to give them strength and comfort. God bless you,
Lynn B.
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteYour friendship and love over the years has touched each member of the Brahmer family and we thank God for the privilege of knowing you and calling you our friend. I will always remember your contagious smile and your gracious hospitality both in Oak Park and Wash. D.C.. Your home was always open and unlocked :) (even though that would freak me out!) You have been a shining light for our Lord and Savior and an example to many. May God give you, Frank, Chip, Christine and Andrew His peace and comfort that passes all understanding. I love you, Carol, and look forward to seeing you and praising our Lord together in heaven.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21
Kathy Brahmer
Dear Carol, I was so encouraged by Sally's note on this blog that messages from friends are being read to you. I am at a loss for the proper words to convey what I would like to say. I have always had such admiration for you. I can remember back some 20 years when we met in the course of your assuming major new professional responsibilities and our collaborating on those. Everything you did was so well done. And I so respected your continuing commitment to working on issues of high business ethics. Most important, you always made everyone around you feel upbeat, positive, and appreciated. My wife Janet and I have been thinking of you daily in these last weeks, and you have been in our prayers. If I may add a word to Frank, whom I also know professionally, I would simply say that I'm thinking of you also each day and that there are so many of us who may not have seen you recently but who care deeply about Carol and you. Our thoughts are with both of you.
ReplyDeleteAlan Yuspeh
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteTerry and I continue to check the blog and think about you every day. I'm glad you're comfortable and glad that you're surrounded by love. You have always been so gracious. You have the gift of making everyone who comes into contact with you feel important. Thank you for that.
Cindy
Dearest Carol,
ReplyDeleteYou are on our minds and in our prayers every day.
We love and admire everything about you!
Peace and comfort be with you always,
Todd, Kris, Isabella, Van, and Ty Jackson
Dear Carol,
ReplyDeleteEach day I pray that you are resting comfortably and peacefully, surrounded by the Lord's angels, until God's perfect will be done and He takes you home. Remember Paul's precious words in Philippians. "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." God bless you dear friend in Christ, Linda Graham