Dear Friends,

It has been 2 weeks today since Jerry passed away. I will not say that it has been easy. Lord Jesus, still my grief with awareness of the glory that Jerry is now enjoying in your presence. In our "earthly" sorrow tears have flown frequently for we are all very heartbroken and heavy with grief and sadness. I read today that our Creator who made us and knows our needs gave us tears as an outlet for sadness. It is comforting to realize that God notices our tears. In Psalm 56:8-9 the psalmist said, "Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" God records our tears in His book of remembrance, as though He were saying, "I have seen your sorrow and I have provided comfort that is greater than your grief."

Washington Irving quoted "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the marks of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." So please don't ever be ashamed of your tears or afraid to shed them for Jerry, myself, Natalie and Joshua. Please know that we welcome them!

I am also reminded that it is in times of grief and great sadness that our Heavenly Father grants us the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit even intercedes for us on our behalf! Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

There are many remembrances of Jerry throughout the day that result in a puddle of tears. Mornings and evenings can be particularly painful. Since moving to CA, Jerry always walked Natalie and Joshua to school. It is now such a sweet memory for me knowing that he loved doing this and the kids enjoyed him being a part of their morning! It is hard in the late afternoon as well knowing that he will not be coming through the door to greet us as he always did. His seat is empty at the dinner table, and our conversation seems lacking. I welcomed little Joshua as he asked if he could sleep with me last night and sense that both he and Natalie are beginning to really realize the hole in our family. It was also difficult for me as I opened Jerry's top dresser drawer one morning while looking for something and saw his wallet and wedding ring inside. I often find myself now going to that drawer just to hold his ring and feel and smell the leather of his wallet.

I find that posting to this blog is therapeutic for me. It has become my "journal" so to speak, and I enjoy sharing with you all, knowing that you love our family and are concerned about us. I plan on blogging more, so if you're interested, please feel free to check it ever so often. In fact, I have several more things I want to share, but don't want to overwhelm everyone with a novel of information on this posting. I have some really funny things to share that occurred over the course of the last two weeks, so stay tuned for those! I enjoy humor and it's great to be able to laugh...and I know that Jerry has been laughing from above as he has looked down on everything!

I am ever so grateful for our Precious Savior and the hope I have in Him. My faith in Christ not only lifts me up, but honors HIS name as well. I do not have all the answers, nor do I understand what has happened, but I know someone who does!

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

I pray that each of you will draw closer to your family and loved ones. Cherish your life! It's a marvelous thing!

Continue to pray boldly for the Anderson 3!

Love,

Candy, Natalie and Joshua