Cindy

Cindy's funeral service was yesterday.  It was a beautiful service......she would have loved it.  For about an hour, maybe a little more, we celebrated Cindy's life and her great faith.  And we celebrated a faithful God.

We laughed, we cried, we worshiped.  It was a very special time.  We sang "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine" as the family walked in.  I loved that.  Cindy's daughter-in-law Jana sang "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" - a favorite hymn of Cindy's.  Her brother Larry and the church music minister Dan sang "God So Loved the World".  The church choir sang "Trust His Heart"......and sang it beautifully!  The South Carolina Singing Churchmen sang.  I think my very favorite part of all that beautiful music was the song we all sang to close the service......"What a Day That Will Be".  It's a wonderful old hymn.  I loved singing it yesterday.  And I can't get it out of my mind since.

Cindy would have been so pleased with that service.  She would have loved the music.  She would have loved that we were glorifying God.  She would have loved that we were seeing friends we hadn't seen in many years.  Funny how that happens at funerals, isn't it?  It was great to see so many friends I hadn't seen in many, many years......some I hadn't seen since we moved out of SC in the late 80s.  I loved all those hugs.  I hated the reason that brought us all together, but I loved reuniting with friends.  I'm still enjoying those memories, and all the memories that were triggered by seeing all those old friends.

I'm also traveling down memory lane remembering Cindy.  The music we made together......Cindy at the organ and me at the piano.  The times we laughed together.  And cried together.  And ate together.  A sweet tooth is one of the many things we always had in common!  I had to chuckle a little yesterday (very discreetly, mind you) when I saw what she was wearing.  You see, for all the years that we played together Sunday after Sunday, it was not at all uncommon for us to show up wearing the same color.  It was never planned.  It just happened.  The last time we played together, at a wedding about 10 years ago, it happened again.  We both showed up in pink.  As I was getting dressed for the funeral yesterday, I changed my mind at the last minute and pulled something pink out of the closet.  And when I got to the church, I had to smile when I saw that Cindy was wearing pink too!

"What a day that will be,

When my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand,

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be."