Precious Lord, Take My Hand

The last few weeks have been a hectic time for our family. On January 29, Garry's Grandma Strikwerda was admitted to the hospital. On February 5th, Garry's mom called us as told us that Grandma was not doing well, and that she might possibly be near the end of her time here on earth with us. On February 6th, Garry's sister Melissa, Garry, Anika and I all flew to California. We were able to spend the next few days visitng Grandma in the hospital, first in ICU, and then in another room. Garry was only able to stay through February 9 because of the stresses of the busy accounting season, but he was able to see Grandma when she was still able to respond to us. On Friday evening, February 11, Grandma Jane was called home to be with Jesus. I decided to stay in California for another week to be available to help with anything, and for Anika to be a happy distraction in a sad time.
Grandma was blessed with 82 years, although they were not easy years to live through. However, she is a wonderful example to our family of how to remain firmly rooted in God and his promises to us, no matter what struggles this sinful world has for us. She lived through World War II in The Netherlands, lost a spouse at a young age, and dealt with numerous health problems throughout her life. Whenever I would visit and ask how she was doing she would say, "Oh, pretty good." Even after losing her independence and living in a nursing home, she would still find reasons to smile. We are so thankful that God allowed Grandma to meet Anika before she passed away, and we remain confident that she is with her Savior and will get to see us all whenever we join her in heaven.